Boys and Girls
by sailordarke
Summary: Slight AU. When your father's a mad scientist, falling in love is the last thing you should do. Especially since his help seems to turn you into the son he never had. Literally. Eventual SasuSaku.
1. Mentally Scarred

Note: Vaguely inspired by Vampire Toy's _Take it Like a Man_. Possibly/Probably OOC.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It was five o'clock in the morning. Most idiots--and that included ninja, the stupidest of them all--did not wake up at this ungodly hour unless they absolutely had to. Sakura did _not_ have to. But she did anyway. _Screaming_.

Bones turning to liquid fire tended to do that to a person.

A good ten minutes later, she was both hoarse and aware that her father was still snoring in the other room. There were no worried rushing footsteps to her door with a parental figure sticking his or her head in, demanding to know what was wrong with their little--

_Princess_...

Sakura stared at the mirror for a long, long moment. "_Mom_!"

Her mother appeared in the door moments later, covering an all-too-false yawn with one hand. She raised one perfect eyebrow in her infamous bored stare. "Yes, dear? Did you need something?"

Sakura pointed one finger at the mirror. "Explain this!"

"Darling, I already told you where mirrors come from. You can't have forgotten already."

"_Mom_!" Deliberately, she stressed the word.

Her mother turned away with a sniff. "Get dressed. I'm not in the habit of talking to naked men I'm not married to."

Sakura stared after her. And then looked in her mirror again, staring once more at the figure staring back at her. "Maybe you should wake Dad up, too," she said numbly.

* * *

She took her Mom's advice on the getting dressed part. And when she walked into the living room, she saw that her mother had followed _her_ advice. Dad was no longer snoring, instead munching enthusiastically on cookies, a colorful bruise decorating his cheek.

Mom was as motherly as always, she noticed.

"Oh good, you're here," Dad said cheerfully.

"And dressed," Mom agreed. "Always an improvement. Why you sleep like that I'll never know..."

"It's healthy!" Sakura said immediately. It was an old argument. "Air flow!"

"There are some things mothers shouldn't have to see. Morning wood is one of them."

"And that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Sakura said quickly. "How did _that_ happen?"

Her mother gave her a long stare. "Darling, I already told you about sex. You can't have forgotten already."

Sakura glared at her. "Mom. I'm a man. I wasn't one yesterday, and I sure as hell wasn't one when I went to sleep. So you two have a _lot_ of explaining to do."

That eyebrow cocked again. "Do we?" There was a long, tense moment as the two glared at each other, Dad cheerfully ignoring them both as he stuffed his face. Then Mom smiled slightly, and gave a tense shrug. "What can I say? Your father always wanted a son."

What. The. _Fuck_.

"_That's your explanation_!"

Funny. Sixteen years and she _still_ expected her parents to make sense. That was the problem with being born to a pair of freaky genius ninja. That is, assuming she had been born and not _spawned_.

Again her mother raised that eyebrow. "Mind your tone, young lady."

"Did you two ever even _consider_ what _I_ would want?"

"Of course we did," she said icily.

"I was originally thinking about a bonding formula," Dad said cheerfully. "But I couldn't get close enough to get a sample from Sasuke-kun. And most of the mice we used tended to die."

Sakura stared. "_Bonding_? With Sasuke-kun!"

He nodded quickly. "It was a genius idea! You see, the idea of _conjoined_ ninja is usually a birth defect, or in the rare case of Sakon and Ukon of the Sound village, a bloodline limit. However, in my research, I was able to find a way to _recreate_ this ability through a complicated formula. You would have to have the same blood type, of course, or the body might react unfavorably."

"But Sasuke-kun's blood is AB! I'm O!"

"O, exactly," he agreed with a nod. "Which is why I'm almost certain that, should you need to, you could move on to other bodies in the same way as Ukon would, making you a valuable asset to Sasuke-kun."

She was _so_ glad that her father was with the Leaf village rather than Sound. That brain of his was going to get him into so much trouble one day. Provided she didn't _kill_ him for this.

Still. That explained the two-headed rats running around the basement.

"Unfortunately, since I couldn't get a sample from Sasuke-kun, and therefore had no idea how your--shall we say, _bond_--would affect either of you, your mother convinced me that a simple formula like this would benefit your relations with Sasuke-kun more." Her father looked seriously depressed at the thought. In fact, if she wasn't currently wearing a male form, she might have pitied him.

So instead, she set her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What the hell do you mean, benefit my relations more? You're going to reverse this right now!" She faltered a second, and looked warily at her parents. "Right Mommy?"

Her mother simply stared at her for a long moment, and then yawned. Loudly. "Well, this is exciting, but I think I'll be going back to bed now. It's far too early for me to be awake."

"Mommy?"

Her mother didn't pause on her way out the door.

Sakura felt her eyes sting--she didn't know why, they _always_ did this--and took a deep breath before looking at her Dad again. "You _can_ reverse it, right?"

He grinned at her brightly. "Of course I can! It's really a simple formula. But I really would like that sample from Sasuke-kun."

"Daddy, you just leave Sasuke-kun alone!"

He pouted. "But sweetness, if Daddy could only have that sample, I would be far more motivated to making that cure of yours." He paused thoughtfully. "Though I'm very curious about how that formula will affect you; you're actually my first real _human_ subject."

She stared at him. "I'm _what_? You're actually testing an _incomplete_ formula on me, your only child, you stupid _bastard_ of a father."

"Who else could I test it on?" He asked with a faint shrug.

That was true. He wasn't likely to test anything on the only woman who'd willingly sleep with him. Everyone else was fair game--provided he had the opportunity to get near them. She didn't even _want_ to think of how many experiments he'd put _her_ through already.

She glared at him, crossing her arms. "If I get you these samples, you promise not to use them to experiment on Sasuke?"

"Of course. He runs so fast, I'd never catch him."

"And you'll reverse the formula on me?"

"Of course."

She closed her eyes tightly. "What do you need?"

* * *

**Note**: As I said before, vaguely inspired by _Take it Like a Man_, and also a manga I read about a week ago about a girl whose mad scientist father came up with a potion that turns her into a man whenever her heart races--and is stupid enough to think that she'll love it. (Needs to remember the manga's title desperately)

As a side note, today's my Mommy's birthday. She's an old old lady now.


	2. He Will Be Loved

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

One of the immediate differences between male and female Sakuras was that she was taller. A _lot_ taller. As in, taller than Shino, who was one of the tallest guys she knew. _Three inches_ taller. And since she'd shot up about a foot overnight--literally--her knees were determined to let her know about it.

It wasn't _her_ fault, she reminded them. She would have been happy to be a _short_ boy.

Her knees were impressed.

Another difference was that, aside from the garish blue pajama bottoms with yellow duck pattern her Mom had insisted on buying her, none of her clothes fit. Except for this one really ugly grey t-shirt with a stretched hem that you couldn't pay her to wear.

Even her _feet_ were bigger, she thought in disgust, glaring at them. She'd _thought_ that she'd at least look like Sakura, the male version--not a too-skinny guy with pink hair. It was like...she actually _was_ her father's son.

Ah hell. Like I needed _another_ complex on top of all of this.

Luckily, Dad was metrosexual enough to take her shopping. And when you got past his mad scientist persona, he was actually good company, surprisingly patient as he dragged her through clothing stores looking for the "right" stuff.

If he'd been _half_ this fun when she was a girl, she might not have such a parent complex. Was it really that much of a tragedy that she'd been a girl?

Shut up, Sakura. This is no time to be depressed.

"Eh, Haruno," the cashier interrupted her thoughts. "Who's this? Don't remember seeing someone like him before."

"This is my nephew," Dad said immediately. "Haruno Akira. He'll be staying with us for a while."

"Ah?" The cashier exclaimed, staring at him. As did Sakura. "You never mentioned a nephew!"

"My brother and myself do not get along very well," Dad said tragically. "He's always been _dull_, if you know what I mean. He even disowned his own son when poor Akira-chan expressed interest in coming to see me!"

"Ah?" The cashier said again, looking at Sakura sympathetically. "You poor dear!"

Sakura glared at her father, arms crossed. "You shouldn't believe everything _he_ tells you," she told the cashier, her glare not wavering. "He'll be saying the sun rises in the _north_ next, and what will you have for believing him?"

Dad sighed. "She takes after my brother, I'm afraid."

"And you should be glad to see the last of me," she returned, grabbing his wallet to pay for the clothes. She grabbed the bag, and was only more irritated that the bags felt _lighter_ now.

_Explains why girls keep making boys carry their bags. And it's not just because they're convenient. _

"What was that for, anyway?" She demanded irritatably when her father caught up. "Introducing me as your nephew I can understand, but staying indefinitely? And why did you buy so much clothes?"

"Nothing less from my Akira-chan," Dad said cheerfully.

She aimed another glare at him. "You do realize that's the name of my stuffed bear, right?"

"It is the perfect name for my genius son!"

"_Nephew_!"

"Yes, nephew, right," he agreed, smile not faltering in the slightest. "Ah! There's Naruto-kun. Let's go get some ramen, huh?"

She sighed. "Yes 'Uncle.'" She followed him to the ramen stand, matching his footsteps exactly a pace behind, and only interrupted him when they were almost there. "By the way...what kind of person should I be?"

* * *

Everything from here on out had to be deliberate. She reminded herself of that as she purposefully sat next to Naruto in her customary seat. The blonde, typically, barely looked up from stuffing his face with ramen--all pink hair looked the same from the corner of your eye, she guessed.

Sai, of course, noticed.

"Miso, please," she requested, and then turned deliberately to glare at Sai over Naruto's shoulder. "Problem?"

"I didn't expect to see anyone else with such bad taste as to have pink hair," he said honestly.

Without looking, she could feel her Dad bristle beside her. "It only goes to show that I'm genetically superior," she shot back with no small amount of scorn. "Every other bitch you meet has black hair. It takes a _real_ man to wear pink."

Funny how actually talking earns Naruto's attention. Something about the person he assumed to be Sakura having a much deeper voice and being a foot taller--sitting down. "_Eh_?" He said in disbelief. "Who are you?"

She held out a hand as her soup was placed in front of her. "Haruno Akira. You might know my cousin, Sakura."

His eyes widened comically. "_Eh_! Sakura-chan has a cousin?"

"Frightening to think that someone else in this world has pink hair, huh?" She teased with a grin, taking his hand when he offered it to shake. "I'm staying at their house for the next few days, so don't be surprised to see me around."

"Between the two of you, I'll be drowning in pink by the end of the day."

Sakura smirked at Sai's comment. "Actually, Sakura-chan is on a mission now. You probably won't see her for a while."

Both boys froze.

"_Eh_!" Naruto exclaimed immediately. "What do you mean, she's on a mission? She left without saying anything?"

She shrugged, taking a long sip of soup. "Should she have?"

There was a long pause. Dad patted her arm. "Now Akira-chan, you shouldn't be mean. These two are Sakura-chan's very important friends and you will be working closely with them for the next few weeks."

"_Eh_!" Naruto screeched again. "First this moron and now _him_?"

"I agree," Sai said immediately. "We and Sasuke can be a three-man unit without tacking on Ugly's cousin."

"Ah, so you're a medic-nin now, are you? That's helpful for when your mouth gets you into more trouble than you can handle." Both of them stared again, earning a smirk from her. "As I said, I'm Haruno Akira. Chuunin, medic-nin, and far more than _either_ of you can handle."

Dad patted her hand again. "So friendly. Just like your father."

"Shut up, old man. We're leaving."

Ten minutes later, she glanced at him worriedly. "How was that?"

Her father was grinning broadly. "They're going to love you."

* * *

It was an experience, she decided, getting laughed out of the Hokage's office. Tsunade hadn't believed her when her Dad had given the story in a nutshell. The only way she'd even thought about believing her was after Sakura had given a highly detailed account of events that had transpired between them through the course of her training. Which was roughly the equivilant of talking dirty to your sensei while your father listened in with avid interest.

Needless to say, she left feeling dirty and vaguely victimized.

"Now, now Akira-chan," Dad said laughingly. "Don't be so grumpy. It's not that bad."

"I can't believe you did this. You stupid idiot! "

He patted her arm gently. "Come on, Akira-chan. You'll make yourself sick worrying like this."

"Don't touch me!" She actually shoved him back against a wall. "If you don't undo this right now, old man, I'm going to kill you! You got that? I'll kill you!"

"Akira-chan..."

"Stop _calling_ me that! This isn't a joke anymore, you sick bastard."

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her from behind firmly, dragging her away from him. "That's more than enough," said a familiar gruff voice.

She struggled against the restraining hands, before freezing in horror at the sudden stars in her father's eyes.

"Nothing less from Akira-chan!" He said immediately, not the slightest bit put off that she'd been going to kill him thirty seconds ago.

"You bastard!" Her struggles increased. "I'm going to kill you! You got that? I'm going to _kill_ you! And no one's going to blame me."

"_Enough_!" The voice said again, firmly.

"Be a good boy now, Akira-chan," her father advised quickly.

"Shut _up_," she said stiffly, even though she did stop struggling. And glowered enough to say that it wasn't by choice, although the person holding her couldn't see her expression. "Remember, I know where you sleep."

"Are you going to stop now?" The person asked quietly.

"If I say yes, will you let go?"

"Yes." Some people just had the kind of voice that made you shiver just hearing it. Her male body didn't do anything to stop it.

She smirked. "Then no. It has always been a dream of mine to be held by the great Yamato-san. I'm not going to give it up for something so trivial."

The arms around her waist contracted. From shock, probably. Hesitantly, he released her, turning her around to look at her face. "Do I...know you?"

She held out a hand. "You know my cousin. I'm Haruno Akira." _Too cute when he blushes. Note to self--come on to Yamato-sensei more often_.

He looked at her hand for a long moment, as though he expected it to bite. She tried not to laugh at him when finally he took it. "So Sakura has a cousin?"

"Mmm," she agreed with a smile. "But enough about me, let's talk about you. Like, were you _always_ this delicious or did you have to work at it?"

He choked, which made the lame pick-up line totally worth it.

She laughed. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be serious this time."

Dad sighed. "_Ah_, so much like your father."

"Shut up, idiot." She said immediately without looking at him. Funny, how she could say that now without even having to remind herself that he was her father, and deserved respect that he didn't even try to be worthy of. And she could say it and still be in character.

Dad sighed again. "So forceful! Nothing less from Akira-chan!"

"Don't you have some _shopping_ to do?" She asked mockingly.

"No, no," Dad said quickly, grabbing her hand. And _didn't_ get punched in the face for his effort, because she knew better than to flout Yamato. "You have to come, too. Yes? Yes-yes? We can't shop for you unless you're there to shop with. That it why it is _we_ instead of _I_."

She threw up her arms in disgust. "_Geniuses_! Is _coherency_ too much to ask for?"

Yamato caught her wrist before she went two steps. "I'll see you around," he said, but the tone sounded far too uncertain.

"Until I'm gone," she agreed.

Five minutes later and her father was still grinning. "See?" He said brightly. "I told you that they'd like you!"

* * *

**Note**: Actually, running into Naruto had a purpose, if you can believe it. As my Sakura always says, if you want to succeed at anything, you need Naruto--because he's the idiot that never gives up. And she did think, seriously, that all she had to do was meet Sasuke, tell him everything, get the damned samples and turn back into a girl in time for lunch. But her Daddy always complicates things. Parents usually do.

For future reference, I can't wait until this "day" is over so that I can write Mom and Dad out of the story for a while. Original characters irritate me. Especially when they're mine. Which really makes it awkward when you're writing an original story and spend the first thirty pages trying to figure out how to write out your main characters.

Also, scene three. That was going to be the beginning of chapter three, but unfortunately if I stuck to two scenes per chapter the flow of chapter three would suck--and if I changed it to however many scenes I want per chapter, I would have to put scene three in chapter two. So yes. That's just how it worked out. And the flow of that scene is annoying. Future reference, I don't really support YamaSaku. It was just cute here. And I spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out who'd pull her off of her Dad, and yeah. You don't need to know that.

Whatever. Happy birthday (still) Mom.

Another note, it's rated M because it's probably going to get vulgar as the story goes on. Would you believe that two years ago I wasn't the type of person who swore unless it was really, really important? And then it'd still be whispered? Yeah. Guess I got over that one.


	3. Guinea Pig

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Did she expect to see anyone else she knew while they were shopping? No. Which was why she wasn't too surprised that she didn't see much more than Hinata's head in the distance, examining a something-or-another that was engrossing enough that she didn't protest being trampled over. Not that she protested over _anything_, but still. If the girl had a backbone _anywhere_, Sakura had yet to see it.

Still. Just because she recognized someone didn't mean she wanted to go over and (re)introduce herself. If things worked out, she'd be out of here in three days tops, and Haruno Akira would never be heard from again. Instead, she followed after her father, always in step a pace behind him while her father obsessed over inconsequential things like toothbrushes.

Did she even _need_ a new one, just because she was a guy now? It wasn't like she'd give _herself_ cooties or something.

And she squawked when Dad tried to convince her that boys did _not_ have long hair. Deliberately, she pointed out Hyuuga Neji. Apparently, branch family rebels didn't count. She spent the next two hours trying to figure out how and when Neji had ever rebelled against _anything_. What, did he _not_ wash his hands after hitting the toilet or something? Ugh, no, he had to; he was too fastidious to do otherwise.

She screeched when the barber cut her hair too short. She'd agreed to maybe lightening it up to just above her shoulders; an entire three inches. _This_ was definitely chin-length.

And yes, that was definitely the barber's teeth on the floor.

Damn, and he'd hoped that she could be the stereotypical long-haired bad boy. Not everybody on her team had hair that didn't even touch their shoulders. Hell, their hair probably wouldn't even recognize their shoulders even if they touched it. And _that_--she stared. That was definitely a curl. How the _hell_ did her hair manage to curl? It didn't even curl when she was a girl, and she'd worked hard to make it try. Now she was a boy, and it curled.

Stupid hair.

"I'll never be able to go there again," Dad grumbled in a low tone, unhappy for the first time today.

"He ruined my hair," she reminded him irritably. "_Ruined_ it."

"You didn't have to hit him."

"If you didn't yank me off, I would have killed him." She pouted. "Cut my hair. _Should've_ killed him."

She followed him back home, barely surprised to notice that Mom was in the living room reading a magazine. "So you're back."

"_He_ made me cut my hair," Sakura accused immediately, pointing to her father.

"He tried to kill the barber!"

"He cut my hair too short!"

"Talk some sense into your son!"

"_Nephew_!"

"Nephew."

She glanced up from turning the page. "It's a nice haircut," she said boredly. "And killing is wrong."

Sakura pouted. "You always take _his_ side."

Mom shrugged. "He's cuter than you are."

She glared at them both for a long minute before departing into her room with her packages. She did, after all, have new clothes to hang. A girl _did _have priorities, man or not.

* * *

She was in the middle of dinner when it happened. Her mouth was half open waiting for the bite of salad she'd unenthusiastically put together ten minutes previous, and suddenly the burning sensation returned to her limbs.

She screamed. Her limbs contracted. The fork fell from her hand, hit the table on its way to the ground. Her chair fell backwards, and she hit her head hard on the ground, still convulsing. The screaming didn't stop. The _burning_ didn't stop. Her vision faded out, jade eyes wide but unable to see anything but the red that lie under the surface.

Distantly, she was aware that her parents were watching her. Like this was only stage one of the experiment, and she wasn't their _daughter_, who they were supposed to _protect_ and take _care_ of. That right now, both would like nothing more than to dissect her, somehow put her transformation in slow motion so that they could watch and understand it more fully.

She couldn't stop screaming, even when the pain dulled and she was left gasping for breath.

"So the growth wasn't permanent," Mom said quietly, in a tone that she could have been discussing the weather. But she slid out of her chair and poked her arm firmly with one manicured nail. "Does this hurt?"

Sakura's vision whited out, but she couldn't scream; gasping breaths escaped instead from an already abused throat.

"Interesting." She sat back down. "Finish eating, darling, before your dinner gets cold."

A century later--or maybe only three minutes--Sakura finally recovered enough for two words. "The hell?"

"_Obviously_ the process isn't permanent," Mom said coolly. "A failsafe, I'd imagine."

She rolled over onto her side. "So I don't have to get the sample from Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Even this reprieve couldn't be permanent," she paused for a second to take a bite of dinner. "Something will probably trigger the change again."

She shoved herself back up onto her chair, and tried to catch her breath long enough to get out another sentence. "So what does that mean?"

"Frankly put, darling, you're an experiment. It's a good thing that you're a medic-nin, because I'd imagine that if you have too many of these transformations you'd be facing extreme stress damage to your body." She took another bite, and gave a slight hum of pleasure at the taste. "If you weren't my daughter, I'd almost be tempted to see how long you'd last before your body self destructs. As it is, it might be interesting to witness this experiment first hand."

She picked her fork up off of the floor and carried it to the sink.

It was dirty.

* * *

Roughly two seconds after dinner, Sakura decided that she was ready for bed. Mom and Daddy decided that she needed a physical. She fell asleep on the examining table. And didn't particularly care whether or not she snored.

Maybe two hours before sunrise, she was in her own bed, naked just to spite her mother. Air flow was nice, she decided, and silk sheets always did feel good against her skin. Her velvet pillow was a delicious contrast, and once you got past the fact that it was polyester, even her stuffed bear Akira provided a welcome texture.

And since Akira had been with her through the years, since she was a five-year-old girl too scared to _exist_, she said the three words she always did before finally succumbing to sleep.

"Good night, Akira."

Because what was _Akira_ was more spiritual than physical, she liked to imagine that her bear whispered the sentiment back to her. Because she was asleep, she never knew if he did or not. But she left that to the realm of teddy bears. She had more important things to do.

* * *

**Note**: Short and annoying.

Why am I writing/uploading so much so quickly? Because I didn't sleep at all last night. I'm trying to stay awake, and so I am writing, because otherwise I would be snoring in my brother's bed (he's on vacation with his girlfriend, and I'm visiting and just stealing his bed). Like I said, today's Mom's birthday, and Daddy's supposed to come over to have breakfast/lunch with us to help celebrate it.

And because I'm tired, thank you **azianlovable** for reviewing. We loves reviewers. Also loves alerters and favoriters. We loves hits, too. Hits are nice. But we really loves the reviewers.

By the way, isn't Sakura's family relationship sad? I'm still trying to decide whether I want her to actually be the product of these two having sex or actually _have_ her be spawned our a foundling. Because for those who don't know, in the fic her Dad's just another "black-haired bitch" and her Mom looks like an icy blonde fashion model. And she hates them lots, even though she tries really hard to love them.

And Sasuke thinks _he_ has issues.


	4. Reality and Other Scary Things

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

She woke up screaming and too weak to do much more than breathe for a good half hour and stare at the ceiling.

Dad was still snoring in the other room. That was good; last thing she needed was another physical. _First_ thing she needed though was a nice long cold shower, warm clothes and maybe something vaguely breakfast-like.

Why a cold shower? Because silk sheets invited it. Hell, she _got_ the damned things so that she could be sexually frustrated. Or was it in the vain hope that word about them would trickle down to Sasuke and make _him_ sexually frustrated? Well, it didn't really matter. Either way, _she _wasn't getting any, and so long as she stayed in this form she _still _wasn't getting any.

Unless he was gay, and wouldn't _that_ make headlines.

She yawned, dragging out her new standard issue uniform. Black shorts, black shirt, and damn was she going to miss her boots, but the sandals matched the outfit better.

Ten minutes and one glacial shower later, and not only was she frustrated, she was cold. And still kind of bemused at the effect freezing temperatures had on one specific part of the male anatomy.

Yes, she'd watched. Wouldn't _you_?

She didn't expect anyone else to be awake at this ungodly hour, so cooking took all of three seconds and required a plate of stale cookies and glass of milk due to expire any day now. She needed to go shopping. Badly. But not desperately enough that she hit the market as Haruno Akira. A girl did have standards, and it was hard to be Mr Cool Guy when you had to _shop_. Which was why she'd only seen Sasuke at the market a grand total of _twice_.

And as everyone knew, early morning market was the best time for gossip. And old people who had a relative or thirty who you'd be just _perfect_ for. And any amateur could tell you that only meant that said relative was a lazy jerk who would work you to the bone while he got fat sitting on the couch and complained about everything you _did_ do. That was just how life worked. When it didn't suck, it blew.

And very rarely was that in a _good_ way.

Grah. Dirty thoughts in the kitchen. Bad Sakura, bad.

Funny as hell, though.

She set the dishes in the sink, giving both items a cursory rub-down that would technically classify them as clean, and left the house. She didn't have anywhere to be, but it beat the hell out of seeing her parents right now. But a lot of stuff did. Sometimes they were tolerable. Other times she wondered if she was adopted. Or spawned. Or maybe they really _had_ found her under a cabbage leaf. Or they were bombed by a demented stork.

And she _really_ couldn't remember any other fairy tale 'where to babies come from' replies.

She covered a yawn with the back of her hand, and eyed the cloudy sky balefully. The sun had been up exactly twenty minutes, and she'd been awake maybe three seconds less. So when she finally did make it to the bridge, the place where they always used to meet up at for missions, it wasn't very surprising that no one else was there. It also wasn't surprising that she sat down there instead of standing like an idiot at a place probably no one was going to go to. And if neither of those were surprising, you certainly couldn't expect to be surprised when seconds later her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

The wooden fence was going to be hell on her back. But for the moment, she didn't particularly care.

* * *

She knew the exact instant she ceased to be alone. Immediately, her eyes opened, seeking out the person who'd approached, and met a pair of midnight eyes in return. Uchiha Sasuke. Damn it.

If she'd been in the usual dreamy haze, she'd have reached for him. Luckily, her thought about the fence and her back turned out to be an understatement, so she spared them both the embarrassment--and managed to not be killed at the same time. Not only had the fence been hell on her back, she swore it bruised her right to the bone. And for future reference, it made one lousy pillow.

Sasuke was still staring at her. Damn it.

"So." She yawned deliberately. "You're Uchiha Sasuke."

Stare, stare, stare. Damn it, she hadn't prepared for a meeting like this! What the hell was she supposed to say? _Yeah, hi, Sasuke, I know you don't recognize me, but I need a blood and tissue sample so my Dad will turn me back into a girl_? _That_'s believable.

"Don't tell me I'm claiming your angsting spot," she said, shoving herself to her feet. She swayed where she stood before one hand moved to the handrail, preventing her from falling on her face in front of the Almighty Uchiha. "You want to your clouds on your own, got it. Look, that one _there _looks like a Sharingan. Doesn't that _just_ make you want to kill Itachi? And that one there's a _rabbit_. That makes you want to kill Itachi, _too_."

Stare was replaced suddenly by Death Glare (tm).

She laughed slightly. _Not supposed to ass him away. I **need** this guy, dammit._ "Sorry. I'm stupid when I wake up." She held out a hand. "Name's Haruno Akira. You work with my cousin."

The glare was replaced by a doubtful expression that said far too clearly that he'd noticed her backpedaling. But he still took her hand. "You look like her," he observed.

Her eyebrows damn near disappeared into her hair--no small feat, since she still had that awful huge forehead--as she stared at him in disbelief. Then she laughed. "You're just saying that because everyone with pink hair looks alike."

He smiled. "Maybe."

That shy smile made her heart clench. She raised an eyebrow to hide that reaction. "Are you really Uchiha Sasuke?" She asked in a vaguely mocking tone. "The person my too-cute younger cousin described wouldn't smile if he overdosed on laughing gas."

Back with the staring thing. Damn it.

She shoved her hair back out of her face. "So. What time is it, anyway?"

"Hn," he grunted finally, turning away.

"I'm sorry, I don't recall what position '_Hn_' is on a clock," she said quietly with sarcasm, suddenly relieved. _Finally, something I can deal with_! A Sasuke-kun who did _not _communicate with monosyllables was a scary thing to behold. Oh, the horror, the terror, the cosmic breakage of reality and other scary stuff.

It was actually pretty nostalgic to wait at the bridge with Sasuke. When she didn't think about it, it was like they were twelve again, and she was _Sakura_ instead of _Akira_. Before Orochimaru and Akatsuki and the hundred and one missions that she'd _missed_ because she wasn't strong enough.

She leaned against the railing, using her reflection in the water to fix her hair. That was as girly as she could be, because even though both she and Sasuke were facing the opposite directions she felt every glance he gave her like a touch. She didn't know what to do. She _didn't_. If she'd just gone to his house, she could have explained everything. And maybe, if she was really lucky, he'd have believed her. Here they were outside, where anyone could come, or he could disappear.

And she knew better than anyone that if Sasuke chose to run, she'd never be able to find him.

* * *

She knew he was there before she saw him, turned immediately after sensing him to aim a glare in their direction before the blonde even noticed she was there. Naruto had a hand in the air and was grinning on his way over, Sai walking right behind him, and paused comically when he saw her.

"Oi!" He said immediately. "What are _you_ doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's called enjoying peace, quiet and and a civilized conversation with someone whose world doesn't revolve around ramen."

Obviously, the idea didn't compute. She resisted the urge to snicker--barely.

"You can't tell me that you're surprised to see me," she teased, arms spread in a gesture that welcomed disdain. "I'm here until I'm gone, baby. Get used to it."

There was a long pause as Naruto seethed before it was abruptly ended by something she'd never expected to see: Sai looking at her with a vaguely befuddled expression on his face, and slight irritation in his expression. "You're not very easy to like, are you?"

"Like?" She repeated, trying not to show her surprise. _Sai_ was... well. She'd never expected him to show _any_ kind of emotion. But she'd bet that he was as surprised about it as she was. Quickly, she remembered herself, and hardened her expression. "Ha. Don't blame your own shortcomings on me. You said that before, didn't you? And you also said 'I have no interest in being associated with the likes of you.' Something like that." She paused deliberately. "Are you sure that the one who's impossible to like isn't _you_?"

She was lying through her teeth. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes, and hoped that she didn't break her cover by suddenly starting to bawl and ask for forgiveness. It was stupid. Sai could take care of himself; he wouldn't take offense at something like this. But eventually, he might think that she'd told the truth. He'd accept it. Live with it. He really was--hopeless. But so was she. And she was stupid enough to want to protect him.

She was spared by Naruto's immediate enthusiastic denial by the timely arrival of Kakashi, appearing suddenly on the railing.

"Sorry about that," he started cheerfully, "I got lost on..."

"You're late and lying, sensei," she interrupted smoothly, instead of echoing Naruto's immediate _'LIAR_!'

He smiled behind his mask. "So you're Sakura's cousin," he said, facing her and ignoring the idiot. "You won't be training with us today, I'm afraid. The Hokage was wanting to meet with you."

"Of course," she agreed with a false smile. "I didn't expect to be tied to these morons immediately. I should find Tsunade-sama then."

"Yamato's over there. He agreed to escort you."

"_Eh_?" She laughed, turning to look. "An ANBU escort? You think so highly of me."

* * *

**Note**: I'm somehow torn between liking this chapter and hating it. Seriously, there's very little I could find wrong with it. It's a good chapter, I think. Unfortunately, from the point where Sakura starts yawning in scene one, I was frankly falling asleep in my chair and didn't really regain awareness until Sasuke's angsting spot, which was five minutes before I went to take a shower to "wake up." Then I finished the scene and took a nap, woke up in time to have dinner, hit a book store and worked on scene three in between flipping through my three new manga.

If you want more chapters in a reasonable fashion tomorrow (maybe two or more chapters?) I'd recommend sending me song reccommendations. I work more when I have some background noise, and if I can't find the "right song" for what I'm working on, it's like wading through molasses for sentences. Trust me. This chapter took five hours. Five _hours_. And no, I'm _not_ counting read time or nap time. I need music.

So that you know what kind of music I was listening for the last few chapters, we have "Aerosmith - _Pink_; Hinder - _Lips of an Angel_; Three Days Grace - _Let You Down_; John Waite - _I Ain't Missing You_; Good Charlotte - _Girls and Boys_; Fergie - _Fergalicious_; Three Days Grace - _(I Hate) Everything About You_; Avril Lavigne - _Nobody's Home_; Jessica Simpson - _Forbidden Fruit_; Evanescence - _Call Me When You're Sober_; Play - _I Must Not Chase the Boys_; Pink - _Just Like a Pill_."

No specific order. Just some of the songs that were on History on my browser.

Thank you **Epiff Annie**, **AndreahTreole**, **DarkAngelRakell** and **dark Alley** for reviewing! Reviews and music are what make the world go round.

And it's 3:20am, so I need to crash. Sleep means extra plotting time. No sleep means an uphill battle with the write-itude and stale musicness. And when I wake up I may have a new review!


	5. Dangerous Encounters

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Yamato was waiting exactly where Kakashi had said, in plain sight but blending perfectly into the woodland scenery. She almost laughed; _there _was an example of hiding in plain sight if ever she'd seen one.

Still, she smiled. "So, we meet again," she said lightly. "And sooner than expected."

He almost smiled--she could see that he wanted to. But there was something about him. A _business_ face.

_Fuck_.

"What did Tsunade-sama tell you about me?" She said immediately.

He didn't look surprised, which only reaffirmed her guess. "Nothing much," he said after a moment. He sounded honest, but that meant nothing. ANBU lied like they drew breath. And _men_ didn't even know what truth was.

"Just keep an eye on me, right?" She said with a false laugh. "How many ANBU are with you? Can I expect them to kill me if I so much as look at you? Do you think I even _care_?"

"Do you?"

"Sakura respects you," she said instead, determinedly keeping her eyes averted--and catching a glimpse of an ANBU mask out of the corner of her eye in the process. She recognized the pattern of the cat mask. He was a good ANBU--maybe as good as Yamato. She'd healed him once. Broken rib; stupid accident after a tough mission. She'd liked him. That didn't mean he wouldn't kill her.

"You really do expect too much from me." She sighed, shoving her hair back out of her face.

* * *

Tsunade was alone in the room--surprising. She'd also been waiting for them. And any hilarity for the situation had apparently worn off since yesterday. She looked completely serious.

"Get out," Sakura said flatly as soon as she entered the room. She felt Yamato tense behind her. His eyes sought out Tsunade, who only nodded. But he still hesitated before leaving the room.

"So," Tsunade said as the door closed after the ANBU. "You look comfortable."

"Do I?"

Tsunade turned in her chair. "The Third left a record of your father," she said, offering her a pile of pages. Sakura accepted the load without question.

"He used to visit when I was younger," she said quietly. "Mom was always angry when he left, but I think Dad liked him. He was so angry when the Third died." Tears threatened; were systematically ignored.

"They were close then?"

"Close? How could that be?" That was impossible for anyone. But she remembered the white fury that had gripped her father after he'd heard the news. The disbelief that the Third had died. The yelling that it was _all his fault_. She hadn't wanted to go home; she'd had no place else to go.

"I'll admit that at first I didn't want to believe this," Tsunade said. "There was no sense to it. However, there is no denying you are who you claim to be. You knew details no one else could have. And you found me here."

She said nothing for a long moment; Tsunade still looked thoughtful.

"Those records," the Hokage finally said. "They worry me. From everything the Third said, I can only call your father a madman. He's extremely dangerous."

She tried to keep her face blank. "Do you regret taking me on?"

Tsunade didn't deny it, sharpening her doubts. "Sakura--no, Akira. I should get used to saying that. I want you to tell me everything you can about your father's experiments."

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know so much. We aren't close. Actually," she raised a hand. "According to Mom, this wasn't even the experiment he wanted to try out on me. He originally wanted to turn me into--a parasite, I guess you could say. Someone who could enter other bodies physically and destroy them from the inside, like the Sound ninja Ukon. But she managed to convince him to try something smaller instead, since that one had a much lesser success rate."

For a split second, interest sharpened her eyes before clarity returned. "Why?"

This answer she knew. "People crave acknowledgement. Geniuses in particular. He twisted what I said I wanted, in an effort to gain that acknowledgement." She kept her eyes down, looking quietly at the papers in her arms. "Sandaime-sama used to come visit, like I said. But after he died, you were Hokage, and you didn't know anything about him."

Tsunade blinked. "You think he was just doing this to gain attention?"

She smiled slightly. "My father's very patriotic, but the Third never let him get involved with the ninja. That was why Mom didn't like him, I think. Maybe he thinks that if he does something to me that will get your attention, you'll be different."

There was a long pause as she thought. "It may be to our benefit if you introduce me to your father," she said finally. A second later, her eyebrow rose. "Or is it _uncle_ now?"

* * *

"If you want to survive this encounter," Sakura said quietly as they neared her house, "don't touch anything. Don't eat and drink for the next twenty-four hours. They'll ask, so say you're on a diet. Think at least twice before every breath; there could be something in the air. Stay at least five feet away from anything at all times, and definitely don't let anything make contact with your skin. And when you leave, have your clothes burned. You're the Hokage, so you shouldn't take chances."

"Chances? You're making this sound dangerous."

"You're my teacher," she reminded her seriously. "The last thing I want is you foaming on the floor."

Tsunade looked at her sharply. "That happened?"

Sakura nodded slightly. "When I was four. It was supposed to increase resistance to certain toxins." She smiled. "Afterward, Sandaime-sama started to visit, so it didn't happen as much."

Tsunade frowned. "You owe a lot to him then."

"Everyone does," she agreed, opening the door and leading her teacher inside.

Her mother was waiting in the living room again, reading that magazine, but she set it down immediately to look at Sakura with a smile. "I was right," she said immediately, standing and approaching quickly. She didn't even notice Tsunade in the room, her eyes, for once, focused completely on her daughter. "The results for your physical are in. My theory was correct. You are falling apart."

She paused in the act of removing her shirt. "What do you mean?"

"Here," Mom said quickly, unrolling a scroll. "The tranformation is putting stress on your muscles, like I said. And in this form, you're taller; your bones have to grow and shrink with every transformation. They'll soon be brittle. And here--your heart is also suffering. Too much longer and it might explode from the stress. Frankly, darling, you're dying. Are you in pain?"

She circled around Sakura slowly and frowned when she saw her back, reaching out to poke it around the spine. Sakura hissed. "You're bruised here," she observed. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, "I just leaned against the railing on the bridge. I guess I was more fragile than I thought."

"Really," Mom said, tracing her spine. "That's interesting. I wonder if this fragility translates."

Sakura shook her head quickly. "More importantly, where's Dad? Tsunade-sama said she wanted to speak with him."

Mom raised her eyebrows in a look that spoke volumes. "Oh? What for?"

* * *

**Note**: Another troublesome chapter. It took a while to get going; had to find the right songs out of those you all sent. But I still like the scene with Yamato in it best.

As a note, the sentence "Sakura respects you" does sound awkward where it's placed, doesn't it? This is because I was originally going to have her say something else right after that, but decided against it at the last moment. Too long cuts between dialogue makes conversation awkward to read.

Thank you I'm a **lumberjack**, **4everDestined**, **DarkAngelRakell**, **AndreahTreole**, **bobalina**, **azianlovable**, and **dark Alley** for reviewing! And special thanks for everyone who sent me music! I'm still listening to all you sent, but please keep them coming.

And as an aside, **bobalina**, it would still be difficult for Sakura to hurt Sasuke since he's still a better fighter than she is. She'd have to wait for someone _else _to hurt him, and as is mentioned in this chapter, she's rapidly deteriorating. Best chance of getting the sample is for her to ask him on the off chance of him believing her. Or praying for an S-class mission. Which might be interesting.


	6. Team Gai?

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Once again, she woke up screaming. Once again, she opened her eyes to find herself curled into a ball, instinctively trying to keep herself small because growing only hurt. And once again, she woke up alone.

No big surprise there. The day her parents came running while she was in pain was the day someone else stood up to take the job. She laughed inwardly, pulling her face out of Akira's fur and petting the stuffed bear with some affection. The only person she'd ever wanted to do that was gone.

She shoved herself to her feet, almost crashing to the floor when for a second her legs refused to carry her weight. A hand shot out, catching herself before she fell. "Day three," she muttered weakly, leaning against her door. Slowly, she straightened, this time moving a bit more gracefully. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't fall, and started navigating herself outside and back toward the Hokage's.

_Come see me_, she'd said. _First thing in the morning_.

"Doubt she meant this early," she murmured, navigating the halls with the ease of long practice, "but I have nowhere else to go."

She didn't have to worry, in any case. She found Tsunade in her office with several medical scrolls opened on her desk and--she stared--the same scroll her mother had. The results of her physical. Tsunade didn't even look up until she cleared her throat, murmuring a quiet, "Tsunade-sama?"

Her head shot up quickly, eyes widened with surprise until she recognized her. "You're here," she said faintly by way of welcome, pushing her chair back enough for her to get out. "I was going over the results of your physical. I can't argue with anything they said. You _are_ dying."

She flinched inwardly, but said nothing, which was just as well as Tsunade began to pace.

"I tried to use my influence to speed your father's cure for that damn experiment, but in return he wants a full labratory," she said, irritation lacing her voice. "Even if I was willing, it would take days to set up. And according to your results you have--maybe--ten days."

"I understand," she said quietly, hands curling into fists. "Thank you."

"I'm giving him the labratory," Tsunade said impatiently. "But it's going to be a crap shot. By the time you're back in your own body--permanently--you'll be too frail to be a ninja."

This time, her wince was visible.

"However. You're still a damn fine medic-nin. I'd be stupid to let you go. So here." She picked something up off a desk and carried it to her. Sakura looked down. In her hands were two grey balls, each the side of a fist. One of the balls switched hands, and Sakura almost dropped it through the floor. It was made of _lead_. "Don't drop it," Tsunade scolded. "They're damn heavy. They'll break the floor."

"Tsunade-sama?" She said uncertainly.

"You'll want to be with your team, won't you?" The Hokage asked rhetorically. "You'll want these. You won't hold your team back too much right now, but after a few days you'll have trouble pulling your own weight. You'll need to train harder than ever if you want to keep your bones strong. I want you to learn how to use these. You already introduced yourself as a Chuunin and medic-nin; if you suddenly start broadcasting your strength, no one will be fooled. Better if you try to pass yourself off at least as a mid-range fighter."

Sakura nodded. "I understand."

Tsunade accepted the ball back and put both balls into a rectangular case that was already holding three more even larger in size. The case had a build-in strap, so once it was closed, she handed it over. Sakura accepted it, putting the strap over her head so that it pulled equally from both sides.

"I also have a new diet regime for you," Tsunade continued, pulling a scroll off her desk and slipping it into the empty scroll slot on the case. "You'll need to get more calcium in your system, so I'll prescribe some pills. And I want to see you drinking a lot more milk than you do."

She nodded, not really looking forward to it.

"I spoke with Gai, who agreed to teach you how to use these. He's already familiar with their uses, since he's been using a similar method to train Rock Lee."

She frowned. "So I'll be working with Team Gai?"

"Only long enough to become familiar with that." Tsunade suddenly aimed a glare at her. "I fully expect you to surpass Rock Lee. Don't let me down."

Sakura smiled. "Got it."

* * *

She didn't tell her about Sasuke.

Sakura rubbed her forehead roughly, trying to force her headache away. She'd thought about it; meant to mention it. But she didn't know what Dad would do with those samples, didn't know if Tsunade would decide it was a risk. Didn't know what _anyone_ would do. Didn't even know what _Sasuke_ would do.

"I'm just a coward, aren't I?" She asked no one in particular. She lifted one hand up slightly to look at it, smiling weakly. At least her hands looked the same. That was probably the only thing that wasn't changed completely. Her hand went up again to drag through her hair. "Stupid, Aki. You're just stupid. You never change at all."

She shook her head, forcing herself to keep walking.

It didn't matter that none of this made sense, that she still didn't know what she was going to do or how. She wanted to go to Sasuke immediately, tell him everything. She'd take him to Tsunade, have her confirm it...and _maybe_ her father would come up with a cure.

It was almost a relief when she finally came to the clearing Lee and Gai were waiting for her in. Both were going through the usual hero-worship scene, sweet in its idiocy. She smiled slightly, raising one arm over her head in greeting. "Yo!" She said brightly. "Sorry I'm late."

Gai grinned at her, flashing too-shiny teeth. "Of course not," he said cheerilly. "The others won't be here for hours."

She laughed. "Enough time for me to get exhausted, then. Great. Wouldn't want to leave them all in the dust on the first day."

_That_ got the desired reaction. Both Gai and his protege suddenly looked all fired up. She was going to have _quite_ the workout today. And they could carry her home on a stretcher.

Still. It was what Tsunade wanted...right?

* * *

**Note**: Okay, equally troublesome chapter. The first scene poured out. Second, not so much. And I spent a good twenty minutes trying to figure out how to make Gai greet her when I finally said to hell with it, and made Sakura talk. And yes, she called herself Aki. She was in public, didn't know who was watching, and in case someone heard her, it would be bad to call herself Sakura. And she called herself Aki, because Akira is the name of her stuffed bear, and she wasn't going to call herself that. Actually, for ten minutes I had her call herself Aki-chan, until I decided that just sounded wrong.

Because this thought is probably going to come up, I talk to my hands. So Sakura talks to her hands. It's a very insecure gesture, actually, and often seen in anime, manga and stories. Mainly when the character "has blood on their hands." They stare at their hands a lot and angst over it. I just add dialogue.

And because this might also come up, at the ending half of scene three, Sakura takes her shirt off. When I was writing that scene, I originally had her Mom tell her to strip, and Sakura proceeded to do that. I didn't notice until after I posted the chapter that when I edited the dialogue, that command was also erased. So Sakura's getting undressed for no real reason.

Also, "Akira's" mouth is going to get her into so much trouble.

Thanks to **AndreahTreole**, **I'm a lumberjack**, **DarkAngelRakell** and **azianlovable** for reviewing!

And as an aside to **I'm a lumberjack**, do you _really_ want those two to reproduce again? You'd leave them with an innocent baby? And no, they can't, because Mom wants to keep her figure. If she even suffered through Sakura's pregnancy (still can't decide if she's theirs or not), she doesn't want to do it again. And besides--they wanted a _boy_. Not two kids.

And as an aside to **AndreahTreole**, I don't know when the SasuSaku's going to show up. I never do. But there should be a SasuSaku moment by "day five." And since "days" for this story are apparently three chapters max, it should be soon. Man I hope I can write more tomorrow. And have it flow.

It's 3am, and I need to go to bed. Keep reviewing, and send me more songs!


	7. Help Me

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

An hour to sundown and Sakura was still vaguely surprised that she hadn't run herself to death. The past three hours had been a combination footrace/marathon, going around Konoha six times until Gai decided to call a stop to it before they killed her. Her arms were threatening to fall off, since she had yet to remove this damn heavy box, and she'd had to hold it under her arm while running to keep it from knocking her hip out of joint. 

She be black and blue by the time she got home, and she didn't doubt for an instant that both of her parents would be poking at her by the time the night was out.

"I'm impressed, Akira," Lee said with an amiable smile. "Most people aren't able to keep up with me."

She smiled back. "I exist to impress," she shot back with usual flippancy. She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Are you sure you don't mind eating with me? I'm dying for some ramen."

"Of course not," he said immediately. "Gai-sensei said that it was important that I show you around, and I want ramen too."

"Right," she agreed."Well, let's go then."

Suddenly wanting ramen was not--she hoped--proof that she'd gone insane. It was merely one of the only sure places she could think of to run into Naruto. And judging by the three butts in the stools of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, she figured she found them.

"_Ah_?" She said with a laugh upon entering. "Ditched the old people today, did we? How extremely prejudiced!"

Naruto fell out of his stool in shock, stood immediately and pointed at her. "You! What are you doing here?"

"Having dinner with friends," she said with a shrug, removing the strap from around her neck and passing the case to Naruto. "Do something with that, would you?"

Typically, he dropped the entire box on his feet and screamed.

"Don't drop it, idiot. You'll break the floor." She sighed and lifted the box back up, setting it behind her stool and ducked to catch the blonde's feet, sending him immediately back to the ground. Without a word she began to remove one of his sandals. "You didn't break anything, did you?"

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm a medic-nin, moron. You just dropped over fifty pounds of metal on your toes." Sandals removed, she lightly traced his toes, feeling for broken bones. Immediately, he starting kicking, laughing out loud. "Oh, for the love of...It figures that you'd be ticklish. Somebody hold him before I have to knock him out."

Rock Lee, in a typical feat of gallantry, dropped to his knees to hold him still. And with him properly restrained, Sakura quickly set and bandaged his toes and half of his feet before tossing his shoes back in his face. She gave a disgusted sigh before leaning against the bar. "Vegetable ramen, please," she requested, not even bothering to sit down. "And maybe you'd better make it to go."

She picked up her case again, setting it once more over her shoulder. "It's a shame," she said tiredly, setting her money on the bar, "because I would have enjoyed talking to you again, Sasuke-san. You're probably the most intelligent person I'm likely to meet here." She yawned. "But then, I suppose I haven't met Hyuuga Neji yet."

She smiled inwardly at his immediate reaction. Fury clouded his vision, and she applauded her sense of timing when her order was set out in front of her so she could make a speedy exit.

* * *

It was a simple matter to leave Rock Lee in the dust, disappearing before he'd even noticed she left. She didn't put too much energy into it. If he wanted to look for her, he was certainly welcome to do so. She wasn't going to kill herself for something as pointless as hiding from someone who didn't even matter. 

So it wasn't surprising that _he_'d found her, even though she hadn't expect him to try. Sakura eyed the Uchiha out of the corner of her eye, trying to look for a hidden motive. "So are you my escort this evening?"

"Something like that." His noncommital response was accompanied by a shrug. "You said you wanted to talk to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you care?"

"No." The response was both immediate and completely typical.

"Of course not." She smiled anyways, delighted. "It's still surprising that you're here though. According to Sakura, you never did something so pointless before."

"Hn," he said, tyically. For a while there was nothing said, both walking along in companiable silence, Sasuke half behind her. She wasn't in a hurry even though she knew, somehow, that her time was running up and she'd have to get home soon.

She could tell him now, she thought quietly as they neared her home. Ask him to come inside; tell him. If he watched her change back, he'd believe her--for sure, right? She could ask him, and if he said yes, she could give the samples to her father personally. But that would be dangerous. She didn't want him anywhere near her house. _Ever_.

"It's surprising," he said finally after a while, interrupting the silence and jarring her abruptly from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're not what I expected." He was watching her closely, measuring her against some scale she couldn't begin to guess at.

She smiled immediately, a cocky half-smirk that seemed to suit this face best. "I don't doubt it. I'm not what _I_ expected, either."

He gave his typical half-laugh. "I see," he said simply. "Sakura never mentioned having a cousin."

She froze for a second before she resumed walking, and immediately cursed the lapse. She could just see where _this_ was going. "Is that so," she said quietly in reply. "I'm not surprised. Our parents aren't close. She hasn't seen me in years--she probably didn't think it was important."

"Probably not," he agreed. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when without warning, he caught her wrist, yanking her around to face him. "_Who are you_?"

She flinched at the bruising strength of his grasp, but didn't try yanking her hand back. His eyes were red; he'd activated his Sharingan. _Damn it_. Steeling herself, she looked him in the eye, trying to keep herself steady. A little more pressure on her arm and he'd break it.

"_I need your help_."

Surprise flickered in his eyes, already painted with distrust. But before he could open his mouth, the door shot open. Both of them turned their heads to see her mother standing in the doorway. "Akira, _inside_. Hurry."

Her father was right behind her. Just seeing them made her eyes widen in panic. Without a thought, she shoved Sasuke away. She surprised him just enough that his grip loosened enough for her to break free. "_Run_," she commanded him in a fierce whisper, before hurrying toward the door.

One second after the door closed behind her, the familiar burning sensation laced through her body, making her scream as the world turned black around her. Before she lost consciousness, she heard her mother's voice in the distance.

"_So_. I was right."

* * *

**Note**: This chapter wasn't so bad. Not my favorite out, but it wasn't too hard to write at least. I started stumbling about half-way through scene two when I decided to further explore one of the sites on my favorites list. (Naruto Nippon dot net, for all interested) It's hysterical, of course, but I only really got distracted by the sound of Shikamaru singing (and man, can this guy sing!) If you want to hear, you can download it by clicking "Oh! Enka!" on the sidebar, and going down to #3: OH! ENKA! (Morikubo Version). That's just before the lyrics. 

If I didn't get distracted, this chapter might have been out an hour ago (it's 7:30 now). But that's okay.

Since I've heard a lot of you all commenting about my awesome updating skills, I think it might be a good time to let you know that soon I probably won't update as often. See, I'm currently living with my Dad, who has no Internet. The only reason I'm updating like this at all is because a couple of weeks ago, our power got turned off and I moved back in with Mom so that I wouldn't freeze my butt off this winter. This past Friday, Dad got our power turned back on, so I'll be moving back in with him soon, and you'll be stuck with Saturday updates.

Thank you **dark Alley**, **AndreahTreole**, **I'm a lumberjack**, **kttykiwi** and **azianlovable** for reviewing!

Also, FFnet updating is annoying. It wouldn't let me upload this chapter until like 1am. Which means that my early start finishing this chapter is worthless, because every thirty minutes I tried to upload this so I wasn't writing as much. Which means two chapters tonight, too, instead of three like I _hoped_.


	8. Milk

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was that she was that she _hurt_. Everywhere was a constant throb of pain. She frowned in her sleep, trying to make sense of it.

"Darling, I have better things to do than hold your hand all day, so if you aren't dying in the doorway, let go."

Dying. _Right_.

Sakura opened one eye, noticing immediately that the reason she wasn't comfortable was because she'd half fallen on her new case. Gradually, she released her mother's hand, half surprised that her mother had even gotten into that position. Mom breathed a sigh of relief, checking her hand immediately. She winced inwardly; there was a huge bruise all the way around her Mom's wrist. Apparently, she'd been squeezing too hard.

Slowly, she straightened, and noticed--since gravity pulled her shirt down a little--that had been the reason for her mother's nearness.

"You're so protective," Mom mocked, straightening and ruffling her hair in a way that would have been affectionate from anyone else. "That was Uchiha Sasuke outside earlier, wasn't it? It's good to see that you're still close. I guess true friendship knows no bounds."

"Shut up," she said flatly, checking her box to see that it was undamaged.

"What's in the box?" Mom asked, arms crossed.

"Nothing important." It was fine--even the scroll was untouched. She couldn't say the same for the floor, but that was nothing a good sanding couldn't fix. "A gift. That's all."

"Ah? Good to know that you were willing to kill me over something so insignificant." She was still scowling in that way that said--loudly--that she wasn't amused.

"People kill for less reason every day," Sakura said coolly, shoving herself to her feet. She stumbled, caught the door handle an instant before she fell, and leaned heavily against it. "Did I...faint?"

Distaste lingered on her mother's expression. "Yes," she said. "It might be wise of you to come home before nightfall, if you don't want anyone to know about this. I theorized earlier that your transformations are tied to certain times of day; you are Sakura only after sunset."

She nodded slowly. That fit in with what she'd been thinking. "I see. Thank you for calling me."

"Huh." Her mother turned away, awkwardly. "Maybe I didn't want you to end the experiment so quickly."

"Doubtlessly."

* * *

Sakura adjusted the bandages around her arm with a sense of tired practicality. Sasuke _hadn't_ broken her arm, even when she'd considered it an inescapable occurance. He'd sprained it, which was trickier to heal, and she spent more chakra than she wanted trying to repair both that and her sore muscles. As it was, when she finally walked out the door, the strap of the case once more on her shoulder, the best she could do was 'sore.'

Gai and Lee were waiting for her at the same clearing, as expected. And this time, so was Neji.

She smiled as we approached. "Does this mean I'm late, then? I thought you didn't wake up this early." When the Hyuuga only blinked at the light jab, she held out a hand. "Hey. I'm Haruno Akira. You might have heard about me from the grapevine."

Whether they admitted it or not, men were as guilty of gossip as girls were. It was something she'd laughed about privately--or not so privately--for years. It was also something she'd teased Neji about a time or two over the years. Next to Ino, he was the biggest gossip she'd ever met. Needless to day, he'd always turned bright red and denied it instead of the typical shrugging it off.

He eyed her for a moment before accepting her hand. "Don't believe anything your cousin told you about me," he instructed.

She snickered. "Got it."

"I am deeply sorry that I failed in my duty of escorting you, Akira," Lee said seriously after the introductions were made.

She smiled at him. "And I'm sorry to have missed out on dinner, Lee-san," she said. "Maybe we should try that after. You too, of course, Neji-san. Gai-sensei."

The invitation had the desired effect; stars suddenly sparkled in the older man's eyes, and fenced Neji into being forced to accept. Which meant she was having dinner with most of Team Gai--and she didn't have to worried about being cornered by Sasuke.

_Stupid, Sakura_, she scolded herself mentally. _Are you forgetting what you need to do? If you're afraid of him, explain to him! This is important!_

Easier said than done.

"Lee says that you can keep up with him," Neji interrupted her thoughts before they could go into a complete downward spiral.

She smirked quickly, eyelashes lowering to give an altogether _flirtacious_ look. "Well, what can I say," she said quietly. "When I don't keep pace, I easily surpass. But you'll find that out soon enough, won't you?"

His eyebrows rose immediately as interest colored his expression. "Oh?"

"You mean you _aren't _going to challenge me, Hyuuga Neji-san? How disappointing."

"When?" He said quickly, before she could turn away.

She shrugged lazily. "Not today. I have training to do. But that just gives you time to familiarize yourself with my techniques. Until then..." she aimed a conspiratorial glance in Lee's direction. "I'll race you."

* * *

She actually _skidded_ to a halt after about the fourth lap around Konoha when a angry-looking Shizune stood right in her way and _glared_ at her. Up until that point, she'd been about three steps behind Neji, wondering at how competitive men could be once they thought that you were _male_ rather than female. And secretly laughing that Neji, who pretended to know everything, hadn't even noticed who she was.

"Shizune-san?" She gasped quietly, stumbling to keep from falling on her butt when forward momentum suddenly stopped.

Shizune's eyes widened only slightly at Sakura's knowing her name before she dismissed the thought. "Haruno-kun," she said in return, and suddenly held a bottle out to her. "Drink this."

_Drink this, she says_. She made no move to even take the bottle, raising one eyebrow instead. "What is it?"

"Milk," she said. "Tsunade says that you have a calcium deficiency."

"True enough," she agreed, taking the glass and sipping it down with some distaste. Milk was good for cookies; on its own, there were other things she'd prefer. She finished the bottle quickly and handed it back. "Anything else?"

Shizune came up with a small jar filled with pills. "This. Take three a day. Morning, afternoon and night," she glared again. "And don't slack on it. You look like a troublemaker to me."

She cocked an eyebrow. "That time of the month, or did Tsunade-sama blow your pay on gambling again?"

She realized, suddenly, that this was an extremely stupid thing to say when you were a man. Or anyone. But most especially a man. Immediately, Shizune threw a punch. Sakura lifted her case to use as a shield, turning it slightly to deflect the attack but do no real damage. A kick followed; was jumped over. Another punch aimed toward her face was ducked. She blocked a knee to the groin this time and caught a punch for her trouble, but only smiled.

"Don't tell me," she said quietly. "It's _both_."

_That_ worked out well. Shizune elbowed her across the chest, sending her stumbling back.

"I guess it's pointless to say that I didn't mean anything by it?" She offered with a weak laugh, rubbing her chest. Since the answer to that was a kick aimed at her head, she guessed she was right, bending backwards to dodge while her fingers worked the right symbols to _poof_ her out of there.

The teleport landed her back within several yards of Team Gai, who were closing in on the beginning of the lap yet again. Neji glanced back over his shoulder to look at her; the other two hadn't even noticed she was missing. "Are you all right?" He asked, and she noticed that he saw her still rubbing her chest as she ran.

"Yeah," she said back, trying not to sound worried. "Just ran into a little..._distraction_."

As soon as they stopped, she needed to try healing herself. That elbow had hit just over her heart.

And Sakura tasted blood.

* * *

**Note**: Uh...yeah. Sakura's flirting with Neji, and Neji is worried about "Akira" because (s)he disappears for five minutes and comes back looking like (s)he's in pain. Funny how she dodged almost every hit, and the only one that she catches is the one that does damage.

Thank you **I'm a lumberjack** for reviewing!

And it's 5am, and I need to get to hurry up and get to sleep before anyone else wakes up (and expects me to be awake, too). More chapters when I wake up! And more Sasuke, too.


	9. I Win!

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

They actually hit the finish line at the same time. She panted out a breath, grinning. One good thing about...whatever it was--she was a lot faster now. Stronger. 

Neji was standing in front of her, looking less winded--but she'd only ever seen him in two conditions. Perfectly poised and dying. There was no middle ground for this man. Right now, she could have hated him for it. He smirked at her. "I win."

"No way," she protested immediately. "My toe was ahead of yours by _three_ centimeters."

"Doesn't count. I'm still one lap ahead of you."

She straightened immediately, hands fisting on her hips. "That doesn't count, either! Someone interrupted the race."

He shrugged dismissively. "If you didn't want to be distracted, you wouldn't have been."

He'd obviously never been faced with a PMSing kunoichi.

"_Fine_," she said finally, trying vainly to keep from pouting. "But I want a rematch. This time I'm definitely going to beat you."

He interrupted her before she could finish issuing the challenge. "Before that, you should heal yourself." She looked sharply toward the other two, but Neji shook his head. "They haven't noticed, but I can see that it's bothering you."

She nodded grudgingly, moving her hand up to her chest, it glowing with the familiar light of healing chakra. She moved slightly so that the Hyuuga was between her and the men in green, but kept a wary eye in their direction. Neji, of course, had all of the movement of a _rock_. He'd been cautious enough to mention it, but what she did after that was her own business. Typical Neji. Still, she appreciated it.

"Thanks," she said quietly, letting her hand fall away when she noticed that Gai had finally seen that neither of them were alongside Lee cheering for their burning youth. Or something. Instead, seeing that, she smirked at Neji. "So. Race again tomorrow? I'll beat you again."

He blinked before his expression recovered. "I told you before, you were a lap behind."

She laughed at him, hands once more on her hips. "Believe what you want, Hyuuga. You just don't want to admit that I'm faster than you with a fifteen yard head start."

He glared at her. "Tomorrow."

She grinned. "Oh yes."

And that, she thought, ended that matter neatly.

* * *

"You still didn't win," Neji insisted for the billionth time, following close on her heels as she led the way into the ramen stand. 

"Oh yes I did," she said cheerfully, arms folded behind her head. "You didn't even touch me."

"I wasn't _trying_ to touch you."

"Which was why you said 'damn it' and tried to kick me in the head." She laughed again. "Admit it, Neji. I whipped your butt."

Oh yes, training had been eventful. Shortly after she'd healed herself, and gone through the brief exercises of hurling ten, fifteen and thirty pound balls of lead at a moving target (in this case, Lee), Neji had taken it upon himself to challenge her. The simple spar had the rules of no sharp objects and only Taijutsu, and within seconds had Neji's pride on the line. It had lasted, surprisingly, fifteen minutes--and she'd shocked herself enormously that she'd even survived. Inwardly, she'd been sweating bullets; outwardly, she'd been yapping his ears off.

"I admit nothing," the Hyuuga prodigy said with quiet dignity that wasn't even remotely believable considering the fact that his face was as bright as a tomato. "If you hadn't _kissed_ me, I would have won."

He called _that_ a kiss? She scoffed inwardly. She'd kissed more responsive _toads_. And besides, she'd barely even _touched_ his mouth. Actually, if he hadn't moved, the most that would have happened would be that their noses might have brushed against each other.

"If you didn't want to be distracted, you wouldn't have been," she teased in a sing-song voice. She sat down on the stool and tapped the bar. "Hey, hey. Vegetable ramen, please. The Hyuuga's paying."

"Why am _I_ paying?"

"Because I invited, I was going to pay for all three of you. But you lost, so you're paying." She smiled at him. "It's all very elementary, so I'm sure you can make the connection. You being a genius, and all."

She could almost _hear_ him grumbling as he pulled out his wallet and made his order.

"Why am I not surprised that you'd stoop to kissing someone to win," Sai said rhetorically from his seat next to her.

"Why am I not surprised that you eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" She shot back immediately. "And it's not like you don't go around flashing those abs of yours to gain the upper hand. 'It's not just a _costume_, it's a _strategic advantage_.'" She laughed. "Or something."

"My _abs_ aren't my _mouth_."

"I'm so glad you noticed. Bet that just makes eating so much easier, doesn't it? And it certainly helps with your paintings, too, I bet. Knowing your anatomy is _always_ a good thing."

"Ah, Sakura-chan," Naruto said cheerily as he entered the stand, too happy to see _someone_ with pink hair that he didn't bother trying to decide if it was the right person. "You're back. We were worried about you."

Sakura turned to stare at him, dumbfounded. "_Eh_?"

Needless to say, he recognized immediately that this _wasn't_ his Sakura-chan. Kind of. Whatever. He screeched and pointed. "What are _you_ doing here?"

She shrugged and pointed to Sai and Sasuke, both of whom had been in there since she'd gotten here. "What were _they_ doing here without you? Is your lack of any taste at _all_ really that contagious?"

* * *

**Note**: Yes, I love Neji, and NejiSaku. But promise, this is as NejiSaku as this story's going to get. It's going to be _SasuSaku_. True, my last long Naruto that was supposed to be SasuSaku turned into more ItaSaku, but that was an accident! And yes, I tend to ignore Lee and Gai. I haven't watched _Naruto_ in so long I forget how they talk. And I don't have the time to watch the entire series again, just for a character refresher course. And also, Sasuke wasn't mentioned more than in passing here. Sorry. He'll be around to terrorize Sakura next chapter, promise. "Today" seems to be mainly dedicated to Neji, I guess. 

The quote about it "not being just a costume, it's a strategic advantage" I got from paraphrasing a scene from a _Cable and Deadpool_ comic. You know, where Cable tried to destroy the world and Deadpool went in with the X-Men and wore Marvel Girl's old costume (miniskirt, high heels, bright yellow panties; not a pretty sight). Claimed that Cable would be too busy checking out his legs that he wouldn't know what hit him. So, _yes_. Old comic.

And can you believe that this chapter took me _eleven hours_ to write? First scene came out fine (even if it was only seven paragraphs long, only two of which were more than one line long). Second scene I had _no idea_ what to do with. I had actually decided to just say "screw it" and go to bed early tonight, try to post some chapters tomorrow, but after an hour or so of trying to get some sleep I got out of bed and checked my reviews. So you can all thank **Isiri** for this chapter tonight; without that review, you'd be like someone invited over for pizza and then stood up. (Chapter is still shorter than I wanted, though.)

Long reviews are wonderful. We loves them. Loves most reviews in general, but good reviews are nice. So thank you **4everDestined**, **runwithskizzers**, **dark Alley**, **kttykiwi**, **azianlovable** and **Isiri** for reviewing!

And as an aside to **Isiri**, Akira and Sakura at least have the "ra" at the end. And an "ak" somewhere in there. And it took me three whole days before I noticed that. Man, I'm slow. I was actually looking for a name that meant 'spring', but I ended up with something that meant 'autumn' or 'bright' or something like that. Can't remember.

And sorry you only get one chapter tonight. It's 4:12am. I need bed. And maybe a pizza when I wake up. Pepperoni and mushroom! Yum!


	10. Continuation

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Neji grabbed her wrist before Naruto even had the chance to reply to the sarcastic comment, earning him a quick glance. The steam wafting from her ramen, recently (and stealthily) placed in front of her, teased her senses. Lee and Gai were helping themselves enthusiastically to their own meals, she noticed, and Neji had already picked up his chopsticks to begin eating his own. She'd been the only one who hadn't even noticed the food being delivered; that rankled.

"Eh, what are you eating with him for, Neji?" Naruto asked blankly, staring at the group.

Neji looked at him from the corner of his eye, almost blushing before averting his eyes. "That's what I want to know."

"He's here because I beat him," Sakura informed him proudly around a bite of ramen.

Neji aimed her another glare. "No you didn't."

"I so did," she insisted yet again. "Right, Gai-sensei? I beat Neji."

The jonin's mouth was slap full of ramen, and his answer could have been anything from "I love dresses" to "damn good ramen." The proud tears streaming down his face, however, meant that either one was possible. Assuming that he'd even heard the question.

Sakura flashed another grin. "See? Even he thinks so."

"No way. _He_ beat you?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief before the dark-haired boy could protest that _wasn't_ what his sensei was saying.

Neji glared, still slightly pink. "No."

"Huh." Suddenly, Naruto's face was inches in front of Sakura's, glaring at her. She turned bright red, glancing quickly toward Sasuke, and then away again. The Uchiha was watching the entire exchange with suspicion. "I don't see it," Naruto grumbled. "You don't look that tough. How could someone like you defeat Neji?"

She turned her attention back to her ramen, taking a small bite. "How could I defeat Neji...huh." Her voice was quiet. She smiled quickly, but the expression was entirely too false. "It was an accident."

It _was_. She still didn't know...was that win even based on _her_ power--or her father's experiment?

And more importantly: tomorrow, would it even matter?

* * *

It was purely luck that she'd even noticed, constantly distracted as she was by petty arguments with almost everyone but the stoic Sasuke and the oblivious Gai and Lee. She'd turned her head to say something particularly witty to Naruto that was damn near guaranteed to go over the blonde's head, and saw a splash of red out of the corner of her eye that made her halt mid-sentence. The sun was just starting to set.

Before she'd even thought to hide her reaction, her skin paled. By the time she even tried, Sasuke, Neji and, a second later, Sai, had glanced over to see what it was.

Quickly, her expression turned guarded, even though she smiled the same little false smile. "Sorry, I forgot," she said quickly. "I need to be getting home. Thanks for dinner, Neji. See you tomorrow, Gai-sensei, Lee-san."

"What is it?" The Hyuuga interrupted before she'd even left the stand.

He froze for a second before turning her head with a vaguely embarrassed grin. "Well...I'm kind of afraid of the dark," she jerked a thumb at the sunset. "Have to get home quick."

_That_ gained their attention. Naruto momentarily looked like he was going to laugh at her, but Lee immediately abandoned his third bowl of ramen. "I would be proud to walk you home, Akira," he said, smoothly stepping into the nice guy pose, with even flashier teeth.

Her eyes flashed. "You come within two blocks of my cousin's house, Lee-san, and I'll break your legs."

The threat caught him off-balance, interrupting Gai's immediate praising of his favorite student.

Stiffly, she turned back to the door, acutely aware of the six pairs of eyes watching her leave. She wished suddenly that she could disappear, be home, and not have to worry about the transformation that awaited her at sundown. The unavoidable pain; the unlikely cure. A poking and prodding mother and father who treated her less like a human every day.

Helpless; hopeless.

Nothing had changed at all.

She wasn't surprised, five minutes later, at the sound of footsteps behind her. She didn't pause; her footsteps neither sped nor slowed, and she didn't trip over the hole in the rode that had tried to break her neck countless times before. She didn't even glance behind her. "What do you want?"

"My house is in this direction," Sasuke explained, uncharacteristically. She didn't doubt for an instant that he had his hands in his pockets, trying to look both dark and cool in the red light of the sunset to make up for the fact that he'd never before done something so _pointless_.

"You live on the other side of town," she reminded him frankly.

She could _feel_ his eyes flash. "How would you know?"

She scoffed. "You're _Uchiha Sasuke_. It's impossible for me not to know."

"Really." The doubt in his tone was obvious.

She sighed, turning around to face him. "What do you _want_, Sasuke? Don't make me ask again."

"I want to know why you're here," he said immediately, his gaze steady. "Who you _really_ are."

"Akira," Tsunade's voice interrupted. "What are you doing?"

She turned immediately. "Tsunade-sama. Why are you here?"

"It's important that I speak with your uncle about that matter we discussed yesterday," she said. "I was on my way when I saw you. Sasuke. Why are you here?"

Sasuke _hmph_ed, looking away, so Sakura spoke quickly. "He was walking me home," she said, not looking at him. "Since it's almost nightfall."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Nightfall, huh?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

She got it. "I see. Sasuke, I'll take over from here. You may return home."

He didn't move for a long minute, didn't show any sign that he'd even heard. Finally, he turned to the Hokage, an unreadable look in his eyes. "Where's Sakura?"

Still, Tsunade seemed to understand it. That eyebrow raised again. "On a mission."

"_Where_?"

It was steadily getting darker. Sakura looked helplessly at the sun, almost trembling. "Tsunade-sama?" She whispered shakily, both forgetting that Sasuke was there and being far too aware that he _was_.

A second as the Hokage looked first at her, then the sky. "_Run_," she said tensely.

* * *

She almost didn't make it. Actually, she _didn't_ make it. She'd just gotten to the door by the time the sun finally went down. Her vision was white as she opened the door and fell through it, landing face-first on the carpet but too weak to care. Every slight pain she'd felt throughout the day intensified until she felt like screaming, but she already _was_ screaming, because her bones hurt and she was ripping apart, she _was_, and _help me, help me please_.

Quietly, the door closed behind her, but she didn't see who closed it. She only recovered several minutes later, straightening to a half-sitting position just seconds before the door opened again and Tsunade followed her inside.

Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't dive for her, not like she had that first time. She didn't bury her face in the folds of the older woman's shirt, shaking like a leaf and silently begging for protection.

Tsunade's eyes were compassionate as one hand reached down to brush her hair out of her face and then help lift the girl off the ground. "Come on," she said quietly, "let's get you to bed."

* * *

**Note**: _Finally_. A chapter that I'm actually half-way _happy_ with. That's the first one since like..._Team Gai?_--and I'm not kidding. Scene one is a continuation of the last chapter since, as **kttykiwi** said, the ending of that chapter was a bit abrupt--that's because I made the mistake of writing the closing note before finishing the scene. That's the perfect way for me to derail any writing I do.

As a sidenote, my brother finally got back from visiting his girlfriend today (well, yesterday now, I guess). Which means he'll be playing video games and such on his computer, and I'll have to wait until he's asleep to write on it. Luckily he always gets off the computer around 10pm to call his girlfriend and fall asleep on the phone, otherwise I might have to kill him.

Another sidenote is that we went to _CiCi's Pizza_ for dinner after picking my brother up from the airport, and they actually _had_ pepperoni and mushroom pizza. They _never_ have it. They didn't have veggie pizza, which was surprising, but they had pepperoni and mushroom. Dunno why I'm surprised though; everything I say (serious, polite, in passing or completely exhausted) usually comes true. And I'm not even kidding.

Thank you **kttykiwi**, **dark Alley** and **azianlovable** for reviewing! Next chapter, _Sakura_Sasuke interaction (not "Akira"Sasuke).


	11. Claustrophobia

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"The labratory is in the process of being built now. The contractor's looking over the design now." 

Sakura sat up in her bed, dressed--at Tsunade's insistance--in one of "Akira's" shirts and little else. She kept her head down. Tsunade's voice was quiet, muffled slightly by the door and distance, but she could hear every word perfectly. She just didn't want to.

"What are you--Your daughter is dying, I hope you know that. Can't you _do _anything?"

_Don't bother_, she wanted to say.

"Don't you _care_?"

You're learning, she thought. She picked Akira up, the bear's fluff comforting against her cheek, suddenly incredibly amused that she even _cared_. Amused and irritated, because she _knew_ better.

Her window opened up a slit, enough to let fresh air in, and then more. She pulled it open more, abandoning Akira on the dresser, used both hands. She stuck her head out, drawing in a deep breath, absurdly grateful for the wind. It cooled her face, and more, it masked the voices that were getting considerably louder in the other room.

Mom was angry. Angrier than when the Third had visited.

_You're treating my husband like an idiot. He's not a criminal; he's a genius, and he's done more for Konoha than anyone else has_. She dropped down from the window, away from the voice; away from the memories they brought up. She landed heavily despite the practice she'd had. She swore silently at the sharp throb of pain in her ankle, hand immediately checking to see how serious it was before she even straightened to a sitting position.

A shadow stood in the middle of the street, but turned as if sensing the movement. She almost laughed. "Sasuke?"

He was at her side in an instant, wearing a mask of complete disbelief at even seeing her. "Are you all right?"

"What are you doing here?" She demanded quietly. "Are you a complete _idiot_?"

She'd forgotten who she was for a second; first he looked taken aback, and then he looked highly offended. "I was just about to leave," he said. "I heard a scream."

She winced inwardly. "Aki." At his questioning look, she changed the name to one he recognized. "Akira."

He nodded slowly. "That's what I thought."

"You should leave," she said quietly. "I'm not even supposed to be outside."

"I thought you were in the middle of a mission," he said after a moment. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back to get some supplies," she lied without blinking. "I'll be gone again by morning. You probably won't see me again for a while, so take care of yourself."

He looked surprised by the quick dismissal, but whatever he was going to say was completely derailed by his sudden notice of her attire. "What are you wearing?" He hissed. "Is that..."

She blushed, immediately aware that though her male form was significantly taller than she was, 'his' shirts only covered her to mid-thigh, and barely that. "First thing I saw," she said by way of explanation, averting her eyes.

"It's _his_ shirt."

"Yeah," she agreed. "He's staying in my room while I'm gone. Where else would he keep his clothes?"

"_Don't_," he said flatly.

She blinked. "Don't what? Share? Where else is he going to sleep?"

"I don't care," he said. "Where did he come from?"

"I couldn't tell you. I was gone when he got here." Technically, that was true. She couldn't be both at once. Warily, she glanced back up at her window, both wanting to listen to make sure that Tsunade was still talking with her parents and keep Sasuke from hearing what was being said. "I need to get back," she said. "I'm not even supposed to be out here. I just had to..." she broke off. _Escape_, she wanted to say, but didn't. She'd done everything she could to keep everyone from knowing who--and what--her parents were; keep their interest at bay.

If they knew, if they _cared_, if they even came close--they were in danger. Better if she kept them at arms length.

"You shouldn't be here," she said quietly. "Dad's an avid fan of yours. If he even _thinks_ you're here, he'll be after you worse than I ever was."

Sasuke looked disgusted, the only sign that he'd even heard her warning. She trusted that he'd take the hint, starting to climb up the wall, quietly calling herself several different kinds of an idiot for even doing this. It didn't matter that she'd _needed_ to escape. It was stupid, pointless--_dangerous_. She'd sprained her ankle, and for _what_? Two minutes of fresh air? Two minutes stolen with Sasuke, as a girl; sweating bullets because any second now, anyone could come into her room, or Tsunade could leave, or, worse, one of them could be yelling so loudly that Sasuke would find out exactly what was going on.

She just climbed back in through the window when the door opened, and Tsunade peeked in. "What's the window doing open?" She asked curiously.

Sakura closed it tightly. "I just wanted some air."

* * *

_Don't worry_, Tsunade had said the night before. _He didn't see anything_. 

She was lucky, she thought. She'd had to go around a corner before reaching home, and her transformation had been disguised by the length of three buildings. If Sasuke had even tried to see what was going on, she'd delayed him. She was really lucky. There had been no uncomfortable questions last night.

She woke up lying on her face in the middle of her room, three inches away from the door. She hurt all over, from the numb ache that was her head to the blinding sharp pain that was her ankle. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, trying to make sense of that arrangement. She was dressed, she noticed, and the sun was high enough in the sky for her to claim it as noon. Neither made sense.

"Mom?" She called hesitantly, and winced slightly at her cracking voice. Her male voice was low, and usually disguised her hoarse voice. Too much longer, however, and she'd break her vocal cords. And wouldn't _that_ be wonderful--male _and_ mute.

There was no answer, no quiet creaking as her door opened and the woman came inside. She moved to her feet, stumbled at the sharp pain in her ankle, and fell back onto her bed. She lifted her foot, checking the injury. Last night, it had only been a sprain, and Tsunade had healed it; apparently, the transformation had stretched bone and muscle and redone the damage. She healed it, wrapping it up with the bandages she kept on hand, and tenatively tried putting some weight on it. It didn't hurt--not that much. But it meant that any racing she planned to do was going to be put on hold.

Damn it.

She moved slowly from her room and made it halfway through the living room before she noticed what was wrong; Dad wasn't snoring. No Dad snoring, no Mom, bright outside--she'd overslept. Badly.

She left the house without trying to find either parent. Her mother was two hours from being completely nocturnal, and less friendly upon waking than a snake. And her Dad was in neither living room nor kitchen, which meant that he was in his "study"--and she didn't even want to think about what he was working on now. It could be "improving" his two-headed rats or an in-depth study on the venus flytrap; designing new poisons or, unlikely, maybe even coming up with an antidote for his stupid experiment.

She was late, she thought, but better late than not even showing. She'd apologize, or something. Something.

So long as it was outside.

"Ah, look out."

A hand latched on immediately to the back of her shirt, pulling her out of the way of a flash with blonde hair that only skidded to a halt three yards after it saw her. Sakura covered her yawn with her hand, and gave Naruto a long glare.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto demanded, pointing wildly. "Everywhere I turn around, there you are!"

Irritation rose. She also pointed, this time behind her, at the house she'd just left. "Sakura lives there, you idiot! Of course I'd be here!"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, but shouldn't you be with Neji and Fuzzy Brows?"

She almost blushed. "Shouldn't you be chasing that cat?" She countered immediately. Naruto yelled, noticing that he'd lost sight of the poor ugly beast, and immediately resumed his chase. Sakura sighed and smiled at the Chuunin who'd saved her from becoming roadkill. "Thanks, Shikamaru," she said politely.

He sighed. "Troublesome."

She adjusted the strap on her shoulder, eyeing him from the corner of her eye. He didn't seem to notice that she'd known his name, and they hadn't even 'met' before this. Not that it _meant_ anything. "What are you doing here?" She asked curiously. "I thought you never went this way." That was one of the funny things; almost every other ninja lived on the other side of Konoha from her. _Her_ family lived in the civilian area. Even Naruto lived three blocks away.

"_Ah_..." he said quietly, a complaint he was too lazy to put into actual words. "I'm supposed to come get you. The Hokage wants you."

* * *

**Note**: You know...if I knew that scene two would have been done with just two paragraphs...it would have been up around 7:30. Actually, it would have been done last night, anyway, if my stupid brother hadn't played on the computer until _5am_! So yes, you can blame this late update on him. It's _his_ fault. 

I did notice that everyone assumed from my mentioning the "SakuraSasuke" interaction and Sakura's transformation before even getting inside to mean that this story was coming to a close...unfortunately, that's not how it goes. If this thing's done by the time I hit chapter _thirty_ I'll be impressed. But it's my fault, really...I started this story because I was tired of "girly" Sakuras--or in this case, Haruno Seeu (from _Take it Like a Man_ by **Vampire Toy**)...and then it was like a sugar high I just had to write down. This is a _pantser_ story rather than a _plotter_ story, which means that within a few weeks I'll be ripping my hair out over it.

As an aside to **Isiri**, if you want to write a AkiSasu story, do it! _Now_! And tell me about it! Gotta read it! Heh.

Thank you **aizi**, **kttykiwi**, **dark Alley**, **DarkAngelRakell**, **Isiri** and **azianlovable** for reviewing.

And because I've been hearing you people want to know _about Sakura's parents_ (right now, even!), sit down and be quiet for a second. 

Let's start with "child abuse"--her parents are on the same scale as the Hyuugas and Uchihas when it comes to child abuse. The only difference between Sasuke and Hinata's fathers and Sakura's is that hers is an underfunded scientist. He needs test subjects (rats don't count); he has a daughter. Despite this, he was _not a bad father_ (and Mom was a decent mother, too). He treated her more like a _doll_ than a human, but whatever.

I fully believe that Mom is a better parent, because she does know that Sakura is human. However, like Hyuuga Hiashi (Hinata's father) for Hinata, she's always been disappointed in Sakura. This is because she was the one responsible for teaching her daughter, and despite being raised by geniuses, Sakura learned everything at the rate of normal children. (More of Sakura's past will be given throughout the story; no more asking!)

And as an aside to **aizi**, Tsunade didn't find out about Sakura's family until _after _Sakura was turned into a guy. _Yes_, this counts as abuse; _no_, she's not going to arrest them. The reason being, she wants Sakura to be turned back; Dad's more likely to turn her back if he isn't rotting in a jail cell.

Why the _Third_ did not arrest her parents (a more reasonable question) was because there was _no one else_ to raise her. Mom had no family; Dad's family was all dead (and you'll hear more about them later). After the Third became involved in their lives, Dad was less likely to experiment on Sakura, and in fact was a "good father"--but those years before the Third was involved in her life kept her wary of inviting anyone home. Because Daddy was supervised, there was no reason to take Sakura away from them. The end.


	12. Cold Day in Hell

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Shizune was in the office. Sakura expected it; anticipated it even. The Hokage had been with her from sundown to a few hours after midnight, coming up with a story that they could feed to what friends were too nosy to be put off by threat of bodily injury--mainly Sasuke. If she'd forgotten anything there was a good chance that it could take a day or three before being mentioned. 

Hell, Tsunade had even heard about the whole confrontation between her and the older medic-nin, and spent a good fifteen minutes talking about it.

Shizune glared at her. She held up both hands in a placating gesture. "Don't kill me," she said lightly. "I brought chocolate."

Bribes always worked.

She tossed the bag of chocolates toward the older woman and turned to Tsunade, approaching three steps before the three other jonin tensed. She tossed them a disgusted stare; apparently, they'd been in on the whole 'keep an eye on Haruno Akira' thing. "Don't you have anything better to do?" She demanded irritably.

"It's fine," Tsunade said, waving them off. "Drink this."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she eyed the glass of milk, the four jonin and Tsunade each, before she reached for it. She wouldn't poison her, she reasoned, and she didn't see anything that lead her to believe this was a genjutsu. Disgusted, she swallowed it, finishing the glass before replacing it. She wiped the milk off her lips with one thumb and then glared. "_Now_ what?"

"You need to take better care of yourself," the Hokage said simply. She turned in her chair to gesture at one of the jonin. "Your 'performance' yesterday seems to have earned some interest, Akira. There are several jonin who would be interested in gaining a medic-nin with your skills."

For a second Sakura's expression contracted before she stiffened again. "With all due respect," she said. "They can go to hell."

"Temporarily," she corrected.

"Not interested." One of the jonin had puffed up like a blowfish. Shizune looked like she was plotting her death. Sakura waited patiently, nonpulsed. "We discussed this yesterday, as you'll recall. I'm not here for a status boost. I don't care of I'm chuunin forever. But I have better things to do with my time than babysit a squad of _holier-than-thou_ jonin who think they're _better_ than me just because I have pink hair."

One of the jonin coughed discreetly. "I don't think it's because of your hair."

"Who asked you?" She said irritably. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips. "That's a very _outrageous_ shade of _brown_ hair I see you sporting. Idiot."

Puff-puff-_puff_ went the blowfish jonin.

"And it's funny how I don't see Kakashi-sensei here," she continued, glare once more aimed at Tsunade. "Especially since I told you already that it was those idiots or nobody."

"_Ahem_." Tsunade smiled, looking sideways at the nondescript jonin with brown hair to her right. "Was that good enough for you, Kakashi?"

A _poof_ as the four jonin transformed into different forms. The blowfish was Anko--of course it was. She was _so_ dead. The jonin beside her was Neji--shocking as _hell_. And on the other side, Kakashi and Utatane Koharu, the scary woman who was two years older than _dirt_.

Damn, did she just hit rock bottom. She didn't bring enough chocolate for this.

Kakashi was scratching the side of his face lightly. "Well, I think we can call that honest," he offered.

Tsunade nodded. "Well then. Allow me to say--" she smirked at Sakura -- "Welcome to Team Kakashi."

* * *

If she'd thought the "cold day in hell" was today, she might have worn something more appropriate. She smirked as she followed Kakashi, exactly three steps behind, and earned a curious glance from Neji, who was going in the same direction. She shook her head slowly. "Just picturing that idiot's reaction when he hears the news," she whispered to him. 

Neji smirked in response. "Is your ankle bothering you?"

It bitched with every step, but she wasn't about to say that. "Not enough that I couldn't run circles around you," she teased.

Interest twitched behind his eyes, and his closed them, breathing out a sigh. "No time."

"Tomorrow?"

"No." He looked disappointed. "We're leaving for a mission tomorrow morning. We're not expected to be back for weeks."

Her eyebrow rose. "Without Tenten?" The long-range kunoichi was in no condition to travel.

"No choice." He aimed a _look_ at her. "I had thought that you'd fill in for her, but your response was a bit..._empathic_."

She blushed. "Sorry," she apologized. "But leaving is out of the question for me."

He inclined his head slightly. "I understand."

"Next time," she said immediately. "No holds barred. One on one. You and me. Kunai, explosive tags, tenketsu; you name it. Promise me. As soon as you get back."

"No kissing."

She grinned. "Not unless you pucker up first."

He smiled. "Right." He made a fist and she tapped it lightly. "Next time."

"I'll hold you to it."

Both of them looked away then, because there was really nothing else left to say. She doubted very much that there would even _be_ a next time. By the time he even got back, she'd either be dead or frailer than a grandma. He'd never see "Akira" again. And the Akira that saw him wouldn't be his friend.

They seperated at the fork. "Girly man," she called before she thought better of it. "You be careful out there. I won't be around to save you all the time."

* * *

**Note**: Short. Ohmigod short. Freaking _boring_ short. Favorite part of all of this is Sakura's "bribes always worked." And because you won't know otherwise, the jonin surrounding Sakura were two behind and two up front (square shape), with Tsunade top-front and Shizune bottom-front (at the door). Neji was left-back and Koharu was right-back, Anko was left-front and Kakashi was right-front. Sakura was in the middle. Not that this particularly _means_ anything. 

I spent a long time deciding which ninja should be there for Koharu's place, and even went with Aoba or Genma for three minutes each, before deciding that we needed someone "old" to balance out Neji's youth. And I like Koharu better than Homura, so. I even spent a whole five seconds trying to decide whether or not I should have all of Team Kakashi (Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke and Naruto) there in disguise as jonins, but by then I already had the "puffer" jonin, and no idea who that could be out of the group. And I really wanted Neji there. Did I mention that I love Neji?

Also, that kind of explains where Tenten had been out of all of this. We'll probably meet her while Neji's gone. What happened was she basically almost got killed in a mission (impaled, really)--but don't worry, she's going to be fine. She had the best medic-nin ever taking care of her.

One second of complaint before I move on to the next chapter: My brother made me write this on the laptop. He _kicked me off_ his computer. Also, hotmail is no longer letting me get _anything_ from FFnet. What the hell, man? I have half the stories on the entire _Kingdom Hearts_ (and quite a few from _Naruto_) section on Story Alert. I'm going to fall behind!

Thank you **kttykiwi** and **dark Alley** for reviewing!


	13. What Can You Do

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"I'm impressed," Kakashi said wryly moments after Neji had disappeared completely. "I was under the impression that you were..."

Since he looked to have trouble coming up with adjectives, she decided to pull a few out of her ever-witty repertoire. "Socially inept? Friend-retardant? Just another headcase in your team of angsty boys? Or maybe you'd prefer Sai's softer, 'difficult to like.'" She smirked. "With all due respect--_go to hell_."

"Tsunade told me a little about your situation," he said.

_Doubtful_. She dismissed the claim with a glance.

"So if you have anything to say..."

"Prove it," she said flatly. "Say my name."

There was a long pause. "Haruno Akira."

"_Aki_. Akira is my cousin's stuffed bear. I win." She crossed her arms. "Next time tell me a lie I will believe."

"You're dying."

_This_ time she blinked. "Maybe she told you something," she agreed.

"Actually, Sasuke did." He met her stare levelly. "Tsunade only confirmed what suspicions I had to start with."

Her eyebrow raised. "Suspicions?"

"You don't want friends for a reason."

She blinked again. "Excuse me if you've heard this before, sensei...but you're as dull as Gai-sensei." She pushed her hair out of her eyes. "If this is supposed to be your warm touchy-feely speech to make me worship you, I'd suggest you stick to Sasuke. He, at least, is a genius--and ten times more likely to give a damn than I ever will."

He sighed. "Another headcase, huh?" He said.

He was repeating what she'd said earlier. The very fact made her smile. "You can't be surprised."

"Surprisingly...I'm not."

* * *

The same could not be said, unfortunately enough, for Naruto. His eyes grew three times the size of his face, and his mouth actually hit the floor, and his screech of disbelief actually shook the ground. Neither Sai nor Sasuke looked particularly surprised, but the blonde did more than make up for it. He was also far the worse for wear; the cat had almost killed him. She almost smirked, even though she was far too grateful that _she_ hadn't been stuck on the mission again.

Leave it to Konohamaru's bunch and idiots like Naruto. She had better things to do.

"What do you mean he's on the same team as us?" The blonde screeched, pointing horrifically.

She flinched backwards. "Ew! Gross!" She mopped her face with her shirt. "Stop that! You're bleeding everywhere."

"Where's Sakura-chan?" He demanded. "When's _she_ coming back?"

"Maybe when you stop asking about her _every time I see you_," she snapped. "Now sit still already. You're getting on my nerves."

He only started bouncing around faster. "It's been a week already," he complained. "And I'm tired of seeing nothing pink but _your_ ugly face. Sakura-chan didn't even tell us she was going. She should be back by now!"

"Stop pretending like she should tell you everything," she screeched in relatiation, yanking him back hard enough that he actually hit the ground. She took advantage immediately, pinning him to the ground and washing his cuts. "Do you tell her anything? _Huh_? Maybe she doesn't want you to worry, did you think of that? Maybe she thinks that if she tells you anything, you're going to rush right into trouble without ever _thinking_, you idiot." She reached for her bandages. "If you have a problem with anything, it's _me_. So stop always using her as an excuse and tell me what your problem is."

"_You don't belong here_."

Her expression contracted, but then her expression hardened. "Don't you think I know that? Do you think I _want_ to be here?" She wrapped the bandage expertly, and then climbed off his back. "I don't."

Kakashi cleared his throat discreetly.

She glared at him. "_That_ has nothing to do with this."

"I don't doubt it," he said amiably. "You have two hours until sunset, Aki. I'd recommend making friends before your time is up."

She stared in uncomprehending horror as Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Two seconds later, a wooden cage grew out of the ground around them. She turned pale with disbelief.

Apparently, Yamato had been nearby.

_Ah fuck_.

* * *

The first five minutes passed in shocked, paralyzed silence. The next twenty passed with both her and Naruto screaming to be let out. By the time the first fourty minutes passed, both Sai and Sasuke had given up enough to sit down. Five minutes after, Naruto was on his ass.

Sakura hit the wall tiredly. "No fair," she muttered, voice barely a thread of sound. She hit harder.

"No use," Naruto said tiredly. She stared at him in disbelief. He didn't look happy at the admission. "It's true. I tried before. There's no getting out until he lets us."

"You're _not_ Naruto," she said angrily, suddenly furious beyond belief. "The Naruto I heard of never gives up on anything. You two I could understand giving up without trying," she glared at the two dark-haired men, "but not Naruto, who wants to be Hokage."

"You heard him," Sai said easily, as if it didn't matter. "Kakashi wants you to 'make friends.' He's not going to leave us here indefinitely."

"But it doesn't make sense!" She slammed her fist against the wall angrily. "I have to make friends with people like you? An idiot, someone who didn't even know what friends _were_ until a few months ago, and someone whose entire world is built on so much distrust that he can't comprehend that someone just _doesn't care_? Do you even think that it's going to matter, since a week from now I'm probably not even going to be here?" She collapsed against it, shoving her hair back out of her face with nerveless fingers.

Naruto, of course, pounced on the statement with both feet. "You mean Sakura-chan's coming back?"

She didn't answer him. Whether or not 'Sakura-chan' came back, she wouldn't be the person he remembered.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

She continued to avoid their gazes. "Talk to Sasuke, then. He saw her a few nights ago." A snide glance was aimed in his direction under dark lashes. "Or did he forget to tell you?"

Again, Naruto's reaction was a work of art. He turned, mouth open in outrage, screaming something incomprehensible to anyone not well-versed in Loud-Assed-Ninja. She was, of course, but not when she had a level-ten stress headache, where _Japanese_ was next to fucking impossible. Not just _impossible_.

Fuck.

Yes.

Sasuke was, of course, Strong-And-Silent King, and would have been completely in character to bash Naruto right through that supposedly-impregnable wall. But they were playing at singularity, repelling all outsiders, and--yes--lying to her. Because she was Haruno Akira rather than Haruno Sakura, the person who could break them all in half with one pinkie. One. After. Another.

"She came to get supplies," Sasuke said eventually. "She climbed out of the window."

"How is she?" Naruto demanded immediately.

That was a good question. Sakura leaned back against the wall, trying to cool down, still watching the Uchiha under her lashes. One thing to be grateful about--they were still long. She could look like her eyes were closed when in fact she was studying all three of them closely.

A minor skill, but well-used in the kunoichi quarter.

"Alive," he finally said. "Tired. She was limping."

She held her tongue. This was not the time to say something that Akira had no business saying.

"What happened?"

Huh. Sai finally talked. She was surprised that he sounded so concerned. "She sprained her ankle is what happened," she snapped, because she didn't want Sasuke to answer. "She tripped and fell--like a _girl_--because she was tired, and suffering from chakra exhaustion."

Naruto looked upset--of course. She met his glare head on. "Don't call Sakura a _girl_."

"But she _is_ a girl." Her immediate smirk was derisive. "So are you, come to think of it. Na-ru-ko-_chan_."

He colored, but she rode right over him.

"Because if you were a _man_, your ultimate, _Almighty Rasengan_ could get us out of this fucking _bird cage_, don't you think? _Princess_?" She included both Sasuke and Sai in her look. "And if we have to depend on the other girlies to rescue us, there is always plenty of scroll left in Sai-chan's belt. And Sasuke's Chidori might possibly be considered notable. You know, if we were _really_ desperate."

All three were paying very close attention, irritation lying just below the surface.

"You know nothing about me, chicklets, so keep your games to your own. Fucking. Self. Square?"

A long silence, before Naruto--of course--opened his mouth.

"So what can _you_ do?"

* * *

**Note**: Yes, yes, I know--you missed me, right? Wanted another update? On not just this, but also _Four Seasons_, right? Well--you get this one because I was already have finished with it before I went MIA. Of course, because of the long break between writing and uploading, I did edit out a few of the funnier lines. Here's one of them, that, yes, I didn't use, because it's still too early for Sakura to be completely square with the group.

_"So it's true, then?" Sai asked with a smile. "You're dying?"_

_"So it's true, then?" She mocked. "You're a virgin?"_

_There was a long pause as two of the three men stared at her. _

It might come up in the next chapter, or the one after, but, hey. Sasuke, of course, knows that she is dying (but not that Sakura is Akira), but he hasn't filled everyone in on the details--yet. But, yeah. Break out the reviews!

Thank you **4everDestined**, **Sienna Maiu**, **kttykiwi**, **dark Alley** and **Hiei's Cute Girl** for reviewing! I guess the e-mail thing wasn't just me--I heard it not only from you, but also all around here. Yikes.

And as an aside to Sienna Maiu, there wasn't actually a purpose for the jounin. I'd like to say there was, but I can only blame it on exhaustion and showmanship. I could probably explain there being some jounin, for Protect the Kage status, you know, but...you just have to wait for a real reason. If there is one.


	14. Face Down in the Dirt

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

What could she do?

Sakura fought to keep her expression completely neutral, even though that was the last thing she felt. What _could_ she do? Good question.

She damned sure _couldn't_ let Naruto down. Impressing these three was imperitive, even though she could hear Tsunade-sama reminding her that she couldn't start using her own moves. And three days running with Team Gai was not long enough to build a brand new fighting style from scratch. All she knew was that the steel case was complete _gold_ when you were blocking attacks while also trying not to break every bone in her body.

Frowning darkly, trying to look like a child who didn't want to share his toys, she drew her case across her lap and opened it. Trying to keep up the illusion, she lifted her knees to tilt the box away from the others, concealing the contents, and after a moment's thought pulled out one of the smaller, fist-sized balls. She closed the box again, securing all of the straps before she stood. Her knees creaked embarrassingly, but she tried to ignore that. A nice warm bath would fix that.

She arranged the strap on her shoulder with one hand, rolling the ball over her other to try and develop a feel for it.

"If I break anything," she said quietly, "I'm going to break your head. This is a present from the Hokage." She rolled the ball up to her fingertips, and as gravity started to roll it back down, she pressed it against the wall, palm down. Chakra appeared, coming out of her hand, the wall, absorbing into the ball as it spun, faster and faster, digging through the wood and then shooting away as it broke through. She didn't see where it went--the hole, of course, was too low, and the windows far too high overhead.

She immediately slammed her case against the hole before it could start to rebuild, and just like the ball she could feel it absorbing chakra out of the wall, but it also dissipated it. Her hands moved to shove at the top and bottom of the box, and the wall broke easily with next to none of her chakra used. She shoved it away, stepping out of the hole in the wall, and fought to keep from staring. The ball hovered a scarce three inches away, still shining a silvery blue, connected to her hand by a thin ray of light. Her hand moved slightly, and the ball shot back to her.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto demanded as the other three filed out behind her.

"My present," she said simply, rolling the ball back and forth over her fingers, liking that its chakra connection kept it attached to her hand. "Nice, isn't it? Minimum chakra for maximum damage with no risk to me. I wonder what Tsunade had it for." It wouldn't be considered very practical for her skills. Unless she wanted a supremely heavy paperweight, she could see next to no gain from it. Except for, yes, the little light that kept it attached to you when you threw it without benefit of chakra string, turning it into a very lethal yo-yo.

She'd have to experiment with it some.

She kept one eye on her team as the other looked out at the scenery, looking for prospective spots that Kakashi, Yamato and the other still-suspicious members of ANBU could be hiding. The ball spun on the fingers of one hand, and she pushed it away with the other, aiming for the branches of one tree. A mere three feet before it crashed into the tree, she drew it back, her other hand whipping her case up to deflect a kunai thrown from her left. She caught the ball easily, and turned her head to glare at the kunai-thrower, who, of course, remained hidden in the leaves and was probably moving fast to hide his position.

"I should really be offended," she muttered darkly. "Sure, there's always half a dozen ANBU around, but I swear they fight like genin." She glanced quickly at Naruto and Sasuke and smiled. "No offense, of course. But it's really no wonder they spend three quarters of their life in the hospital."

She touched the ball to the case, and immediately the light died. She lowered the ball into a pocket, where it of course wouldn't stand under much running; she needed to make them roomier--and her hand out of sight of her team, her fingers made one sharp gesture that sent her poofing out of there.

She smiled cheekily at Kakashi, standing three feet away, exactly where she'd anticipated he'd be. "Hello, Sensei. Are we done playing now?"

* * *

It took about thirty seconds before they were all together--all three boys, Kakashi and Yamato, Sakura, who fit the group so badly looking like this.

Especially since Kakashi sat them all down and asked them what they'd thought they were doing.

Technically, he was saying that to her, but she just shrugged, not even looking at him. "They weren't going to do anything," she pointed out. "And technically speaking, Naruto practically _ordered_ me to get them out of there, considering that all three of them were starting to have girlish vapors. Sai-chan was practically in tears. I _had_ to do something."

All three--okay, just Naruto--looked highly offended. Sasuke was sending her a death glare, and Sai was, of course, expressionless. She actually frowned, realizing what she'd just said. "Oh hell, I actually did what _Naruto _told me to. That makes him _team leader_. I am _such_ an idiot."

Sasuke smirked. "I wasn't going to say anything," he said. "But since you mention it..."

"Shut up, Sasuke. I'm smarter than you, tougher than Naruto and cuter than Sai. Yamato-san will agree." She actually fluttered her eyelashes at him, and squealed inwardly when he blushed. He really was cute, especially when he was all bothered. "Even Kakashi-sensei has succumbed to my charm. Haven't you, Sensei? You were ready to throw Sasuke-kun over to seduce me into being your protege just an hour ago."

Naruto gave a squawk of terror. "Sensei, how could you?"

Kakashi looked exhausted. He thought she was an idiot. He thought Naruto was an idiot. He thought he should have remained in ANBU or perhaps done something with chickens. He just looked at her, though, as if he could read her thoughts. "You left your team to pursue an unknown person--who has a greater fighting potential than you--on your own, leaving them in the open where someone has already attempted to attack you."

"They aimed at me," she pointed out immediately. "I knew exactly who they were, and they weren't after the team, they were after _me_. I of course left them so that in dodging their attacks, they won't incidentally injure my friends. And if they did attack them, in any form, I have full confidence that they would have retreated into the cage while they retailiated. Also, I knew _exactly _who I was going for, because if it had been anyone else with this ball aimed for their head, they would have moved. And if no one was there, I would immediately choose the next appropriate location to find you." She cocked her eyebrow. "And no, I _don't_ think you're a better fighter than me. Sorry."

"Cheeky little brat, aren't you?" He asked with some amusement.

"I am heartbroken," she decided. "You usually pat my cousin on the head for being so smart. This is favortism. I did my best under the circumstances, and I promise I would have killed anyone who hurt Naruto."

A strained silence came as everyone there looked at Sakura in horror.

She replaced her ball in its case very calmly. "After all, I'm certain Sasuke and Sai can take care of themselves, but the only people who can really _hurt_ Naruto are enemies of Konoha, right? Akatsuki, or some other people?"

Naruto let his breath out. "I didn't know you cared." His tone made him sound like he wished she didn't.

"Don't be an idiot. I promised that I'd protect you," she realized, again, how that could sound and immediately added. "Sakura would kill me if I let anything happen to you. You're too much of an idiot to look after yourself."

They were still looking at her strange, and she frowned when she realized that she'd done a very bad job at this, and people were going to start thinking that she was in love with Naruto. She wasn't. She most definitely wasn't. She loved him, sure, and he was, yes, very, very, hot--steaming, red hot, even. But Neji had similar attributes. He was tall, dark, and completely gorgeous, and had a bloodline limit, which put him out of her league, which also made him unattainable.

And _no, no, no_ always made her want to turn it into _yes, yes, yes_, and now she was at Sasuke, and also Sai, because all three of them were freaking emotionally unattainable. As was Kakashi-sensei, but she had higher standards than that. If she was ever going to make it with someone who considered her an annoyance, he damned well could be her own age.

Not, of course, that she had any intention to cut swathes around Konoha.

It would be trouble, being a man, anyway.

And if they had any idea what was going on in her mind right now, she would probably be mortified for life. Kisses were kisses, and she was who she was even when technically she wasn't, and now she was thinking too much.

* * *

As she'd discovered when she became a genin, mind-reading was an extremely rare ability. Even Kakashi and Yamato, who both looked like they could, only saw what they wanted to see, and though her smart mouth virtually convinced them that she was gay, she did not consider her cover blown. Dad might be a little upset that his "nephew" turned out to be gay, but it was his fault for turning a girl into a boy.

And she had to fix this quick before she became any more involved with this character. _This_ was why anyone who was undercover too long was put under surveilance after completing their mission. It was safer--for everyone involved.

"Aki," Kakashi interrupted her dire thoughts with the precision of someone all too used to having the same done to him. Her eyes flashed over to him just in time for one hand to shoot up and catch the bottle aimed at her. "Drink this."

She stiffened, knowing that just that sentence had drawn Sasuke's attention. Knowing the questions that the action would bring. Grimly, she opened the lid and pressed the liquid to her lips. Milk, she tasted, and drank. She trusted Kakashi--stupid as that was. The only ones she didn't trust in this situation was her teammates, who had no reason to trust--much less like--her.

"What's that?" Naruto asked immediately.

"Milk," she said, wiping her mouth with one thumb. "From Tsunade-sama." She raised one eyebrow at Kakashi. "I presume."

Sasuke looked at her. "Do you take everything she gives you?"

She looked back, a slight smile on her face. "People tend to live longer if you do what she says. Just saying."

"Really." His eyebrows rose, almost imperceptibly. "Does that have anything to do with yesterday?"

She felt eyes move first to Sasuke, and then herself. "Yesterday?" Sai queried.

She was still stiff, she noticed, and tried to make herself relax. "Nothing to do with you," she said simply.

"I heard you," Sasuke reminded her. "You screamed."

She blushed, face turning a mortified dark red. "It happens. To you too, I imagine."

"If you're so scared of the dark that you break out into a cold sweat and scream whenever the sun goes down, why did you even bother to become a ninja?"

Naruto was watching, she remembered. Watching and listening, with a wide smile on his face, because he still didn't like her and was looking for a weakness. "Really? You did? Hah!"

"Don't make me break your head, Naruto. I need to conserve chakra, and fixing you up again won't help."

"You're not that good," he immediately protested, hands waving. She took immediate advantage, turning low, foot aimed for his face. He took the hit, of course, not even thinking that she'd attack. He stumbled back, nose bleeding, because she hadn't put enough force into it. Eyes narrowed, he leaped for her, and she dove low, spinning with one hand on her case, swinging another leg. Sasuke jumped out of the way, seconds before she tripped him.

She caught every kunai that flew, sliding them into the scroll slot on the case, rolling toward Sai. He also dodged away, giving her room to avoid Naruto. She took the room, laying flat on her back, waiting as Naruto moved forward to punch her. One hand caught his wrist, yanking. The other pushed him down into the ground as she slid around to kneel on his back.

"Not good?" She challenged. "Five seconds, and you're facedown in the dirt. Hah."

The hand she did not have in a white-knuckled grip thrust back as he elbowed her--hard--in the ribs. She choked, immediately moving away, and found herself behind Yamato in a flash, Kakashi restraining Naruto. One hand checked her ribs, praying that he hadn't broken them. Naruto was dangerous. He didn't play well with others.

Of course, neither did she. But people rarely invited her to try.

"Was that really necessary?" Yamato asked her quietly.

She opened her mouth to say that of course it was _vitally_ necessary, and she was disappointed that they couldn't continue, because it was so much fun to grind hotshot ninja into the dust, but froze, a small cry coming from her mouth.

One kunai--and she saw now that there had been many--had actually found its target.

* * *

**Note**: Well. The first and second scene, and two paragraphs of the third, were finished sometime around Tuesday, before I was desperately distracted by the ever-brilliant Mistful's _Drop Dead Gorgeous_. Which, yes, is another of her completely brilliant Harry Potter fanfiction. In which Harry and Draco are both Aurors, and partners, and completely hysterical. I am of course forced to save every fanfic she writes, so I can enjoy it at home, where I still have no Internet.

If you like Harry Potter, she is, of course, on LJ.

And now, back to this chapter. Sakura is actually doing some action-type stuff. I read somewhere that short sentences make action scenes more action-y, and keep the pace up, but, eh. My short fighting sentences are always dreadfully clipped. You are lucky I even write scenes with some action; I can snip and quibble all day.

And I did notice that I keep referring to Sakura as 'she', rather than by name. I told myself that you can tell who was who without having to refer to them by name or hair color or gender, if only you focus on the dialogue long enough. But because my Sakura is a doer more than she is a speaker, the shes reign supreme. Also, I notice that the fighting scene in scene three is almost worthless, but I restrained myself before she jumped Sasuke and also Sai for no reason whatsoever.

Next chapter should lead to the end of the day, and perhaps there may be a surprise in it. And I really need to make a list to know what interesting things happen in which days, but I'm obsessive enough as it is. And also, I might make them in MS Paint. With a map. And graph, so I know which characters appear where. And helpful illustrations, in case I'm not crazy enough.

Thank you **dark Alley**, **Crimson Decade**, **Mittelan** and **Hiei's Cute Girl** for reviewing!

And as an aside to Mittelan, I rarely talk at all, and only when people talk to me first--in person, that is. Even when they're family, and I see them every day. I just think it's fun to have a character who never shuts up--you know, like my brother.


	15. Toxic Cure

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

She was bleeding.

If Sakura could think, she'd probably be thinking that her blood was dangerous, and she didn't know what her Dad had done to it, and she hoped that it didn't drip and people would touch it and be hurt, when she'd be trying her hardest to keep people from being hurt because of her. Yamato noticed the blood, and reached for her, and she stabbed him without thinking. He swore, one hand gripping his bleeding wrist, and she ran away.

The kunai had come from that tree, and if she'd been thinking, she'd know that they couldn't possibly still be there, but she wasn't, so she charged it. And she was lucky, and one of them was still there, a woman with a mask, and she should recognize her, but all she saw was red.

They betrayed the village by attacking her. It didn't matter if they died, because their stupidity was going to kill hundreds of people, and didn't they know anything?

The woman wasn't surprised at the sudden rage on her face, but she didn't draw her katana, even though it was there, and. Well. She'd see the error of her ways in a moment. Sakura's first punch shattered bone, and the woman screamed. Three other ANBU appeared in a flash, and they _were_ armed. Good. She didn't, couldn't recognize them, even though some part of her recognized one and knew he had a wife, and three children, all little girls not over five, who had sweet smiles and cheerful voices and a spirit to rival Naruto's.

All she knew was that she was going to end up killing someone, and someone had to pay for making her do it.

She actually screamed, and she didn't know why, but someone had hurt her, and she turned and now she wasn't just fighting ANBU, but also her team. They were trying to stop her, and she didn't know why, because she was doing the right thing, wasn't she? And they weren't just trying to stop her, but also kill her, and she had to defend herself. She screamed again, an unintelligible protest against the unfairness of this act, because she was Sakura, and didn't they understand at all?

They didn't. Even Kakashi attacked her, fully aware of what was wrong, and trying to kill her even though he didn't need to bother.

Tears burned her eyes, and her hits became less violent. Their cold, methodical hunting eviscerated her, and she actually stopped fighting, and no one noticed until she was knocked to the ground, broken and bloody, with kunai sticking out of her in almost every direction. And finally Kakashi stopped it, and she saw the blood everywhere. She made a small sound in her throat.

"Do you know what you've _done_?" She whispered, knowing that she was crying and unable to do a thing about it. "My blood's toxic. You could all be _infected_, you stupid, stupid fools. You might be ninja, and not care, but _children_ come here."

There was a sudden feeling of a breeze, as every ninja there froze at the idea.

She pushed herself into a sitting position, and her broken bones protested. Briefly, she considered internal bleeding, and trouble breathing, and the hundred kunai sticking out of her.

"I need to clean this up," she said to herself, in too much pain to register that her leg had been broken--again. "We need to set up a quarantine, and put everyone under surveillance, and--yes, I'll have to talk to Dad about an antidote. If it's not for me, he'll probably be more agreeable. Yes, that's what I'll do."

"What do you think you're talking about?" One of the ANBU--the one in the best shape, actually, though he was bleeding like a stuck pig and had an obviously dislocated arm.

She lowered herself to his level. "Picture this. Every day, you will be put through indescribable pain just from walking three feet. Your bones will grow weak and brittle, and you will fear moving at _all_, because if you move just an inch more than your bones can handle, they will _fracture_. Even's your little heart's pump-pump-pump will eventually be too much, and then, finally, when you think it cannot get any worse, your little heart will burst like a water balloon. And you will _die_, frail as a grandpa, whether you are thirty years, or five weeks old."

And because she feared they did not quite get the message. "You motherfucker."

Blood drained out of his face--she saw, from the corner of her eye, that even Kakashi was pale. He'd known that she was dying, but apparently hadn't known this much. Only Sasuke didn't look particularly disturbed. He looked, she thought, like he was trying to figure a way to use this information to his advantage.

"And this is why you're here?" He asked, with morbid fascination.

"Yeah," she said with a sneer. "So that when I die, my aunt can have the honor of taking me to pieces to see if the disease will work postmortem."

There was a near-collective shudder. Only a couple did not join in, including her, Sai and Kakashi.

She stood again, looking at the mangled group around her. "How many of you can stand?" She asked quietly.

Most of them could, and did. She picked up the unconscious female ANBU, turning the woman's face gently into her neck, and instructed the rest to grab the other two.

"We need to get to the hospital," she said. "But first. Naruto." He looked at her, for once not growling, even though his dislike for her was still evident. "You need to do something. I think your superior healing ability will make this pointless for you, but before you heal every scrape and probably absorb my blood while you're at it, I need you to use your Kyuubi energy." He looked stunned. More than one ANBU looked at her, surprised that she even knew. "Stand in this nice-sized crater over there, and use your demon chakra to burn every drip of blood off of you. Yamato will watch you in case anything goes wrong, but afterwards you have another job.

"After burning off the blood, use your Kage Bunshin and guard every drop of blood. After I get cleaned up, I'll deal with it, but it's important to get moving now." She smiled. "Be back in an hour."

* * *

The parade of Team Kakashi and also ANBU going towards the hospital, armed with blood and cuts and broken bones and kunai sticking out of their skin drew much attention, but everyone who came too close found themselves faced with a highly agreeable ninja who threatened to rend them to pieces if they came within reaching distance of them or their blood.

Sakura paused at the front desk of the hospital to warn the person there, and also every person in the place, that there was going to be blood on the floor and absolutely no one--on pain of death--was to do anything about it, but she would be back momentarily to deal with it.

She dragged all of them into a private room, and was slightly grateful when Yamato showed up soon after, so she didn't need to hunt him down. All of them, men and woman, were summarily stripped and shoved into the large shower. The female ANBU still didn't wake up, which was alarming, so she washed her with supreme care before wrapping her in a towel and lay her on one of the hospital beds.

"Don't touch your clothes," she instructed before the men could try to get dressed. "I'll need to take them home with me to be disposed of, and I'll be sure to replace your things." She fetched another towel and began the slow process of washing the woman up as thoroughly as she could manage, and tossed a towel to every man while she was there. "Make sure there's no trace of red anywhere on your bodies. I don't want to take chances."

She checked the time, slightly worried. It had been about fifteen minutes. Any longer and every drip of her blood would have sunk in. She collected a robe and left the room, barely covering herself before she closed the door behind her. A quick talk with the staff, and she came back with a collection of needles, and found every man wearing a towel--in fact, Kakashi had two; one to cover his face. Smiling, she passed him a surgeons mask, and firmly ordered him to scrub every bit of red off his face before he put it on, and he could go into the shower if he wanted privacy.

"What's that?" He asked a moment later, after donning the mask.

"An accelerant." She filled one of the needles very professionally. "It'll get the adrenaline going, and should fight off an infection. After that we'll have to patch you all up, but you'll have to let me know if anything..._happens_, in the next few days. I'll try to have the antidote soon, but there's no promises on how long it'll be until one's ready. Until then, eat healthy, exercise and drink lots of milk."

"I see."

"You're infected too, aren't you?" Sasuke asked.

There was a moment as everyone stared at him, as though _that_ was obvious. She smiled slightly. "Of course."

"What happened?"

"I believe I was sleeping at the time." She shrugged. "I considered myself safe in my own room, in my own house, and didn't think that they would do anything to me in the middle of the night while I was sleeping. I found out I was wrong, and so I'm here."

"How long?" His dark eyes were inescapable.

"When you're infected, you have anywhere from ten to twenty days before it kills you," she pursed her lips. "I assume. I am, of course, the first one. But the Hokage agreed to the number. I was, I believe, in the first stage of the disease five or six days ago--about the time I came to Konoha."

"How. Long."

She lowered her gaze. "Seven, eight days."

He let out a small breath. "Sakura?"

Her heart almost stopped, before she realized. He didn't know--he was just... "Yes," she admitted. "She has it."

"And she's on a mission?" Rage boiled under the surface.

"She'd after the cure," she snapped, unable to help the tears in her eyes. "Of course she's on a mission. She's always been a Konoha ninja, and her loyalty is inescapable. It will not change, just because she's not going to be alive anymore. And I'm doing my best, so will you _back off_ already?"

"Aki," Kakashi said, and she tried breathing.

The female ANBU's eyelashes were flickering, and she immediately bent over her face with a smile. "Hi," she said, as the woman regained consciousness and opened her eyes. "You're going to be all right."

The woman frowned sleepily. "Haruno?"

"Haruno Akira, at your service." She smiled a bit more hesitantly. "I believe you were trying to kill me a few minutes ago, but I'm a medic-nin, and we don't hold grudges. Your friends will fill you in. I have business to do."

She'd started toward the door when one of the ANBU stopped her. "Haruno."

"Aki," she corrected.

"Where are you going?"

She counted off of her fingers. "To collect Tsunade-sama so she can get a discreet, reliable group of medic-nin to fix your injuries. And also, to buy clothing, replace your weapons, and then clean up the mess we made. We went over quite a bit of ground, and I have to get rid of all of it before sundown. And because the smoke is toxic, burning it is off; I need to get everything home, where there's some hope of containing it. Which means I need my aunt, and she's going to be very angry having to wake up." She smiled. "I'll be back shortly. _Don't_ touch your clothes."

* * *

As predicted, her mother did not take well to the news that she had to get up, and looked both annoyed and a little thrilled that Sakura had lost it and nearly killed several ANBU and also her entire team, including Kakashi. As always, she was completely mad, but agreed that telling Dad would be a bad idea.

Mom was dressed to kill in fifteen minutes, and Sakura was finally in pants and shirt after being forced to get stealthily home in a bathrobe. Then, dressed, and instructing her mother to the hospital, she ran for Tsunade who, of course, was less than pleased. She frowned at Sakura for a long moment.

"What's wrong with you?" She demanded.

"I might have broken a few things," she admitted quietly, "but I still have to get to work."

"Sa-Akira, your lips are blue," she reached for her. "And your skin is cold. I think you might have done a bit more than 'broke something'."

She pouted. "Well, it's nothing I can do anything about right now. I need to clean up."

"Just a little then," Tsunade said, and started sending chakra into her. "I don't want you to kill yourself over something like this right now." She grumbled. "I need to talk to your father."

"Later," she said, and frowned. "You wouldn't happen to have the location of the homes of a few ANBU, would you? I didn't think to ask them what size their clothes were, and I spent a lot of energy _not_ looking."

The Hokage snickered. "I understand."

And of course, with Tsunade running to the hospital now, she got a map of the ANBU's homes, and set to work undoing every trap they had set up to defend the place. Several ninja tried to stop her, but she quickly flashed a note from the Hokage, and got away without a scratch with clothes from every house of those involved. And then, in an excercise of generosity, she reset every trap and ran for the hospital herself.

She recognized the group of medic-nin who had gathered to heal them, which was a relief. Every one was among the best, and every last one had been a part of her most difficult medical assignment--the one that had prevented Tenten from dying, after being trapped in an ambush far too close to Konoha for anyone's peace of mind. It had been so close, she'd had nightmares for weeks, and feared more than anything else that she'd have to confront the rest of Team Gai and tell them that their kunoichi was dead.

Because if Tenten could die, that meant that anyone else could. Including Naruto. And _that_ couldn't happen.

She set the clothes down, but still claimed possession of Naruto's clothes.

"Go on, Aki; we have it here," Mom said, washing the shower with chemicals.

Sakura nodded, and ran again, finding the trail and a Naruto clone on it. She tossed the outfit to him. "Get those to Naruto, and cancel the Bunshin. I have it from here." He nodded and disappeared, and she sighed, got on her hands and knees and started digging.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Note**: Well...this was a long chapter. Yes, and Sakura is doing something interesting. The last scene was a lot of cleanup, and that's why it's so short. She's doing what she said she would, and there's nothing much interesting there.

She's making a lot of strange references to her family, also, but no one's noticed much yet. However (and I don't know if this is going to happen onscreen) Naruto is very excited to meet Sakura-chan's mother, and Mom is of course very civil. And he can't believe that he's never seen her before.

And another thing that might not make the screen is that, when Akira was washing the female ANBU, the other ANBU thought he liked her. And Sakura will probably hear more about that, too.

Of course, I notice now, if I was so inclined I could probably wrap this story up in another dozen or so chapters. But do I want to...?


	16. Reflections of Truth

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Akira-chan. It's time to go home now. It's getting late."

Sakura coughed, lifting the last bag of bloodied dirt and bark and grass, and holding it on her shoulder. "We're ready to go, then?" She asked, looking at the sky and noticing that her mother was right. Nighttime would fall in a few moments.

Mom smiled. "Of course. I think you've done pretty much everything necessary in a very short amount of time. You can certainly tell something happened here, but it shouldn't be dangerous any longer."

She smiled weakly. "Thank goodness."

Her mother reached out a hand and patted her hair. "You grow more like my husband every day. You figured out the best course of action to take, acted quickly, and I don't doubt that you've saved a lot of lives today."

Immediately, tears threatened, but Sakura fought hard to control her expression. "Thank you," she said quietly, bowing respectfully, student to teacher.

"You deserve the praise," Mom said simply, tugging on a pink lock. "This is my first time outside in a long time. I owe it all to you."

"Ah, yes." She deliberately didn't say anything like 'any time.' There was a reason her mother wasn't supposed to go outside without supervision, and she probably shouldn't have now. But so long as Mom had something to get out of something, she wouldn't turn on you. And she was very good at cleanup.

"You know," Mom said after a moment, "Sasuke did bleed an awful lot today."

She made a noncomittal sound, all too aware that the Uchiha in question was only a few feet away, on his way home.

"You might have just fulfilled your conditions, and a little bit more." She touched the bag she had the clothes in affectionately. "We have quite a bit of information in these clothes."

"Yes." Naruto's clothes were at the bottom of her own bag, and she planned to destroy them before her father got his hands on them. There was probably no DNA evidence, but it was better safe than sorry. She might have betrayed Sasuke, and Sai, and even Kakashi and Yamato, but she would defend Naruto to the last. The others could protect themselves; the blonde didn't need a threat from every corner.

All she had to do was keep them away from her family, and everyone would be safe.

"What are you thinking?" Mom queried, smiling as though she _could_ read her thoughts.

"How glad I'll be when Dad reverses the process," she said honestly. "I'm tired of looking like this every day."

Mom laughed. "Don't worry about that. Did you know, the moon's supposed to be nearly a quarter today?"

She looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"It's still only a theory. I'll tell you tomorrow."

* * *

The night fell shortly after they got home, and she collapsed, and screamed, and felt every wound reopen and every fragile bone break again and her eyes were suddenly impossibly wide as her heart thumped weakly, and she shuddered as a seizure racked her body. She was restrained on the table, and she screamed again, because she was still breaking. She could almost sense her Mom and Dad rushing around her, trying to stabilize her, and--she thought--they were both pale. She almost reached out to offer comfort, but it was impossible, because she was still screaming.

Finally, Tsunade was there, and she spent hours healing Sakura as she continued to thrash with the pain.

"She's not going to last much longer," Tsunade said fiercely. "Can't you see how this experiment is killing her? I don't think she has as much time as we thought."

"Don't you think we know that?" Her mother snapped. "I run x-rays on her every night. I take blood samples. Even if we hadn't run this experiment, she'd still be falling apart, her DNA is that unstable."

"What are you saying?" Even her voice was pale.

"I'm saying that Sakura is killing herself. Not _us_, she is doing it to _herself_. Have you seen her lately? Healing every last thing, from a broken arm to a stubbed toe, until she can't even keep herself from falling apart. She's pale as a ghost, and suffering from chakra exhaustion, but she still has to run faster, hit harder and _keep up_ with fucking Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. When she dies, I plan to _gloat _when I tell them that it was _their_ fault."

"So you're saying that _this_ is why--"

"We run the experiment, yes, yes. You've seen her. She _is_ faster, she _is_ stronger, and she _is_ their equal. Just as she wanted. And when she gets too weak to continue, we can..." there was the sound of a slow exhale of breath, and a hand touched Sakura's forehead, brushing the hair back. "We can help her live off of someone else. Someone stronger, who will keep her alive. But that process isn't complete yet. It will take time."

"We're running _out_."

"Then come up with that labratory you're procrastinating on, before she kills herself."

* * *

She woke up the next morning, aware that it was not morning, and also aware that she was once again male. She coughed, turning her face against Akira's fur, hoping for a moment of peace. Something shifted beside her bed, and she turned, surprised, and gasped at the pain. Her mother sat right there, writing, but noticed her stirring.

"So, you're awake. I wondered when that was going to happen," she touched her quietly, checking her leg. "You were screaming for a while, so we thought it should be any moment."

Sakura blinked, shifting, and started to move into a sitting position.

"Stay still," Mom commanded. "I need to wrap your legs properly, if you intend to be walking at all today. I can't believe you were walking around on a broken leg all day yesterday. Did you even think what that could do to your bones? You should stay in bed for at least a week. And your ribs could have pierced your heart at any moment. They rubbed against it _twice_ last night."

She pet Akira's fur, trying to just coast through the pain. "I didn't have the time yesterday," she reminded her. "That woman needed to get to the hospital immediately; I was worried about internal bleeding."

"What a coincidence! So was I."

She flinched. "Sorry."

"Didn't your Hokage tell you that if you die you can't save anyone? Don't be an idiot." She finished wrapping up Sakura's leg and tied the bandage off neatly. "Give me your arm now, and be quiet."

When Sakura was finally allowed out of bed, she was bandages all the way to her neck, and only then was she able to get dressed in black pants and shirt. She lifted the strap of her case over her shoulder, and ignored her mother's annoyed look. She couldn't leave it behind.

"Come on," her Mom prompted as soon as Sakura looked ready to go. "I need to show you something."

Sakura followed a bit gingerly, aware that the bottoms of her feet were very numb and she would have to pay more attention to how she directed them. Her mother showed her into the Empty Room, carrying the three bags of dangerous articles. She set them into the middle of the room, and said simply, drawing her hands together. "Now watch closely."

She formed the seals quickly, said a quiet word, and flame poured from her mouth. Unlike Sasuke's _katon_, it was black and _evil_ and destroyed the pile without a single trace of smoke, or a speck of ash when it finally died out.

"There," her mother said, straightening. "You try."

"On...?" She noticed a small bundle of clothes and her eyes widened. She nodded. "Right."

She did the jutsu, and for once learning it went easy, and she finally had something that no one else knew, because Mom _never_ shared these jutsus. And her mother nodded approvingly, and she smiled because finally she did something that earned approval.

But when she left her house, she was shaking, and felt like crying, because it suddenly felt like she would never be clean again.

* * *

**Note**: Well...scene three was kind of interesting, maybe. And here you have more time with Mom, and you can see that she's...also interesting. Dad doesn't show up as often, maybe because I don't like him. I like her mother, because she is human. And also, I like Dad's brother--but you'll hear about him later.

And I still really dislike making up jutsus, so this one will probably be kept very quiet for a little longer.

And these two chapters were both finished Sunday. Shocking. Currently--that is right now--my brother's girlfriend is here, and they're both staying at my house. And as my brother is there, he is insisting that I work on my _Cold?_ KH fanfic. I am working on the next chapter for this, though.

Thank you **Crimson Decade**, **Mittelan**, **dark Alley**, **Frank Was Not Like Other Sheep** and **ElasticBobaTurtle** for reviewing!


	17. The End?

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Kakashi looked surprised to see her--if, of course, you could tell with only one visible eye. He was the only one there, mainly because they didn't have any training scheduled, and thus he had no reason to be completely, inescusably, _unbelievably_ late. Actually, he was just leaving the ramen stand, and paused when he saw her standing just outside it.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you today," he finally said, eye flashing to take in the bandages and then her very pale, grey face.

"Then I'm quite pleased to have the honor of surprising you."

"Where are you heading this morning?"

"To see the Hokage," her eyes continued to take in her surroundings, looking for anyone who might be listening. She'd already spotted two ANBU trailing her since leaving her home; apparently the group from yesterday hadn't been the last. "She did come see me yesterday, but I didn't have the opportunity to give my report then. And it's very important to see she has it now."

He made a noncommital sound. "Do you aware that you're being followed?"

She deliberately didn't turn and look. "Are they trying to kill me yet?"

He looked. "Just spying, I think."

"That's something, I guess," she looked at him speculatively. "I might need to collect one of those masks, so I don't have to worry so much about them reading my lips."

"Which reminds me," Kakashi said. "How exactly did you get inside my house?"

She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I just walked right on in."

He followed right behind her. "That's not possible."

"Well," she said, "I might have disabled a few traps, too. I guessed what kind of things you'd use to protect your home, and disabled them accordingly. I didn't hurt anything, I hope?"

"You didn't."

"I was going to just buy you new things, but I forgot to get everyone's clothing sizes--and I thought you might all be more comfortable in your own clothes. Was that wrong?"

"No."

She grinned at him, flashing white teeth. "Then you have no reason to feel angry that I'm smarter than you. I'm sorry to invade your privacy, but I did have limited time to work with. Excuse me." She entered the building, leaving her sensei behind her, and moved as quickly down the halls to the Hokage's office as she could without running. And was quickly brought up just short of her goal when she saw Shizune leaving. The woman paused when she saw her, and immediately grew angry.

"What was that yesterday?" She demanded. "The Hokage was exhausted when she finally got home. Can't you leave her alone for once?"

"Shizune, I am shocked," she said, arms crossed. "Are you implying that I am having inappropriate relations with our esteemed Hokage?"

She turned bright red, Sakura's taunt apparently hitting its mark. "I said no such thing."

"Then I hope your record continues," Sakura finally said after a long moment. "Because it will reflect badly on Tsunade-sama if she is rumored to have any such relations with a person who is under constant surveilance by ANBU."

She bowed politely, waiting for the other woman to leave before she finally entered the room. Tsunade was sitting at her desk, a definite look of stress on her face, and glanced up only to see her waiting by the door. "I want you to rest," she said immediately. "I'm going to pull you from Team Kakashi and as your doctor, I recommend complete bedrest until further notice. And afterward, I'm going to give you six months of vacation from your hospital duties until you're in top form again."

She blinked. "Um..._what_?"

"Do you have any idea what happened last night?" The only reason she wasn't raging was because she was the Hokage, and raging wasn't dignified. "You had _seizures_. _Three_. Every bone you have cracked and broke and you had internal bleeding until around two in the morning. Your heart stopped beating for around ten minutes. I was afraid of brain damage. By all rights, you should be dead by now--you shouldn't even be able to _move_."

"You have to be kidding."

Their eyes met and held. "You'll find that I'm not."

"But...after. Naruto..." she shook her head quickly. "Will I be able to come back?"

"That might be a bad idea. Perhaps, if you're strong enough, I could put you on reserve."

Her chin shot up. "That's not good enough. He's not going to last a _second_ out there without me. Even Sasuke. They're going to take stupid risks, and no one's going to be able to pull them out of it. Kakashi-sensei almost _died_ last time. Do you have any idea?"

"_You're_ dying now. I already told you. A medic is only good so long as they are alive. You're of precious little use right now, using every ounce of energy to keep yourself alive. So unless you have anything else, I'd suggest you go home."

Sakura sighed, and sat down. "There is something," she said, voice suddenly very tired and weak. "I didn't give my report."

* * *

And of course, because no one else had been around when Kakashi was, now she was surrounded by people she knew. Sasuke was arguing with Naruto several yards away, Sai was walking with them and reading a book, Shikamaru was walking with the crowd, hands in his pockets and staring up at the sky. Ino was following him, running a steady dialogue, and Chouji was behind her, munching potato chips steadily. Kiba and Akamaru were running the other direction, with Hinata stumbling on after, and Shino right there with her.

He seemed to sense her, looking away and trying to blend in with the crowd and avoid her team, and he actually stopped and looked at her.

"Haruno?" He queried.

She stopped, one foot still in the air, and turned. Ten steps later and she was in his face, both hands covering his mouth. "Don't. Say. Anything."

His shades were always too dark. She'd complained about them a hundred times before, because they always hide his eyes, and she never knew what he was thinking. Now she was taller, and she could see--he had the most unguarded eyes she'd ever seen. Beautiful. But she didn't love him anymore. She wouldn't again.

"Don't talk to me," she whispered desperately, seconds before her team was there and Sasuke pried her off of him. "Let _go_ of me," she demanded, trying to pull away.

"Come on," Sasuke said instead.

She almost yelled, but bit her tongue. Her arm was twisted behind her back, but gently, gently--so out of character. She was losing weight; she could feel his touch straight through her bones. She looked down, defeated, and allowed him to pull her away. But she looked back to Shino, who remained right there, still watching, and then Kiba, who was looking back as well, the oddest expression on his face.

"What was that about?" Sai asked politely as they shuffled her into an empty space.

She breathed in ramen, recognized the stand, and sat down. She reached for the arm Sasuke had held, hand glowing a faint, faint green. They were right; she was deteriorating. Every joint was stiff. "What?"

"With Shino." Sasuke prompted.

"Nothing," she said after a moment. "Shino is...I know him from before. You know. Earlier. I owe him very much."

Understatement of the century.

"Owe him for what?" Naruto now, of course. Disbelief colored his tone.

She looked at him coolly. "Sakura business. You wouldn't understand."

"It's strange," Sasuke said conversationally, "how much you know about your cousin when she's never even mentioned you."

She smiled. "Want to know a secret?" She leaned closer. "Sakura-chan _hates_ her family. You never hear her talk about them, do you?" She frowned, thoughtfully. "Of course, not that it will matter much any longer."

"What?"

"My illness is reaching its final stages, so. Congratulations," she smiled again, determinedly bright. "I'm being pulled from your team. Just what you wanted, right, Naruto-kun?"

He stared. "Uh...yeah."

That hurt. She tried to ignore the pain. "But about Sakura...yeah. I just spoke to the Hokage, and she said that she's going to be pulled, too. Like you wanted--right, Sasuke-kun? Even if she recovers completely, the most you can hope for is reserve. Sorry." She bowed slightly, and slid from her seat. "It was an honor to work with the legendary Team Kakashi. Stay safe, Naruto--we won't be there to protect you anymore."

"Wait. So that's it?" Disbelief colored their eyes, was decidedly marked in Sasuke's voice.

Slowly, she nodded. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun. It was too late for you to save us."

* * *

She didn't cry until she was home, and then she was too weak to do more than let the tears fall, without any real power. Not a sound came from her abused throat, no whisper touched her own ears. She went into her room and climbed into bed, turned to bury her face in Akira's fur.

There was still so much daylight left, and all she had to look forward to was a night of pain. A night of pain, and then, probably, _finally_ death.

What else was there for her? She was here to serve Konoha. Protect Naruto, love Sasuke, cherish Sai. Follow Kakashi, wherever he would lead. But she couldn't anymore. Because her sixth purpose was _follow the Hokage's orders_, and now that was her only ruling. No more Naruto. No more anything.

She made a small sound, pushing harder against the bear. "Stupid Nii-san. Why did you have to go? I needed you."

* * *

**Note**: Yes...short last scene. And I rewrote scene two three times since Monday, so you better be happy with this. Actually, I rewrote scene three _to_ this short one, because we aren't ready for Team Kurenai yet.

And about Nii-san...you'll hear more about him, later.

Also. I realize I should have mentioned this earlier, _but_. I'm a lazy person. When it comes to thanks for reviewing, I'm only going to mention the reviews for the last chapter I've written. I read them and appreciate them all, thank you very much, and if you have questions, I'll answer them (if I haven't already) no matter which chapter you ask them in. But thank yous are only for the last chapter.

So, thank you **Frank Was Not Like Other Sheep**, **Mittelan**, **dark Alley** and **deformedbeauty**. And everyone else who reviewed.


	18. Final Task

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Minutes later, she climbed out of bed, her eyes dry as reality took over. You could only pout for so long. She'd always said as much.

She no longer had a purpose. No mission. Just 'stay home, and die.' Please and thank you. She had to do more.

She _was_ more. Always had been. Naruto had ambition, Sasuke had a mission, Sai _was_ his mission. And Sakura, Sakura, pretty Sakura--she had more. She was pride. She was honor. She was sky high and rock bottom. Fighter and healer. Wind and water. Woman--she laughed--and man. Sakura was Sakura, even when she was Akira, and Sakura belonged to Konoha.

Before she died, she had to protect it one last time.

She left her room, on silent feet.

* * *

The hallway was endless. She'd always thought it, and it had always scared her. It was dark and long and narrow, and people--people she never recognized, who still haunted her dreams--decorated every wall. There were many pictures of her father. Her father and her mother, and this other woman. A woman whose hair was red instead of blonde, who had soft blue eyes and a soft, kind smile. Sometimes her Dad would look off, a different, warmer look in his usually glassy eyes, looking at whoever took the picture in amusement.

_Mommy, does Daddy love her? Why doesn't he look at you like that?_

Her hand brushed the wall quietly, remembering the frozen rage that had lit her mother's eyes at the question. She'd been young and stupid and she didn't know that wasn't the sort of question you asked your parents.

She never saw pictures of herself. Small and pale, a ghost of a child, always clutching a large hand with desperate fingers. As far back as she could remember. There were never any pictures--not of her. Not here.

She kept walking.

The door to her parents' room was open; the room was empty and unusually clean, and the bed unslept in. She exited without touching anything, brushing past the four inches of open door without it moving or squeaking. Almost in dread, she passed into the door that led down to the basement. She didn't touch it; the door always squeaked, and was open only enough for her to get through.

The floorboards were trapped. Trick wires that led to noise makers and explosive tags. They changed traps weekly.

They never changed them enough.

Both parents were right there, working side by side, painting a large scroll with such precision it was as if they worked with the same mind. They did not look up at her. She didn't expect them to. Didn't want them to. She watched.

"Good morning, Akira-chan," Dad said cheerfully, still completely focused on the scroll.

"Good morning."

"Did you need anything?"

One eyebrow rose. "Unless you can turn back time, no."

"Working on it." There was a definite smile in his voice. Something was going good.

"Did anything happen?" Mom queried, painting a long, dark symbol with one even stroke. "I thought you were going to be gone all day."

"I've been pulled from Team Kakashi." Behind her back, where they couldn't see, her hands formed seals with numb fingers. It was awkward; she had next to no feeling, and she had to build chakra in the right direction. Hard--but she was adept. It was impossible not to be, as much undercover work as she'd done during every one of her team's prolonged absences. "Because I'm no longer any use as a ninja. I can't even work in the hospital."

"I see." Her mother said nothing else. Neither parent slowed down in their work, while Sakura shaped the seals that would end it all forever. Two more.

_Hare. Dragon_.

"Sorry."

Flame built rapidly, spreading forward and outward and rushing greedily toward its target, pouring out of her mouth in black sheets. Tears wanted to fall, but her eyes were dry; the fire absorbed every ounce of liquid in her face. Inches away from flame, her father finally glanced up; her mother actually pulled her brush away from the scroll.

Less than a second later, red light flared around the table, and the flame flinched from it. It reached for her, hungry and denied its meal, and she stepped back from it. The flame grew, a giant black dragon, jaws gaping wide to swallow her whole. It continued to pour from her mouth and she couldn't stop it; didn't know how. It was going to kill her. Pale as death, she looked up at it with calm green eyes, and waited.

"Don't be foolish."

* * *

It was a nightmare she couldn't wake from.

The dragon roared, dove down, and scattered like a mist, brushing against her clothes and burning them in places like a fine acid. It burned her face and arms and hands, left fingers raw and bleeding, and tore at the clothes and bandages that covered her until little remained but scraps. It stole every ounce of energy she had, and she nearly fainted, falling over right there. Her mother caught her--but when had she gotten from behind the table?

Her father took up the other side, and together they pulled her onto the table, right on top of the scroll. She gazed up at the ceiling, frozen, uncomprehending.

Was that a moon drawn on the ceiling? In a full circle, surrounding her body, in every form. And the sun--she burned, shuddering away from the pictures, the steady brushing of paint over her skin, connecting her to the scroll. Her mouth opened, a silent, gasping scream of denial. Her mother glowed green, the aura the same as that dark evil flame, in her own healing color. Her father moved in a circle around her, carrying some vial of stuff she didn't recognize, but it was connected to the aura and bled into the ceiling.

Her mother formed hand seals--she tried to read them, recognized a Rooster, and then her vision faded.

The liquid flowed out of the vial, flew through air and under her skin, though the cuts, poured into her mouth and rushed.

She screamed. Light scattered over the ceiling, filling the moon a dark, dark green.

Nothing compared. Not the change, not the moments where she'd been so certain that she'd die. She screamed and screamed, and the dark aura burned out of her skin, hovered midair, and the dragon looked deep into her eyes.

She banished it, eyes closed tightly and whispered fiercely in her mind: _Nii-san_. _Nii-san, nii-san._

_Nii-san, I need you._

_Please don't be dead._

* * *

**Note**: Uh...eh? Okay, this is, admittedly, a weird chapter. Heh. But, next chapter is one of my favorite "moments" that I've been impatiently waiting for since I started this story months ago. I would be posting it today, but there were a few complications...so you need to wait.

Thank you **Mittelan**, **dark Alley**, **Sexy.Black.Neko** and **Sienna Maiu** for reviewing! In all seriousness, I was a bit surprised at how, um, "awesome" my last chapter was, according to you reviewers. I was expecting a few questions, at least, but if all we have is "awesome"...well, who am I to protest?

So you know, here you can see her parents' special abilities. Her mother can manipulate her chakra, a little like the Hyuuga family, but she can actually pull it out of her body and loan it to others (much like Naruto does, but he has to be in physical contact with you; you only have to be in sight for her to send it). She has a semi-large chakra reserve, and so she often supplies chakra for her husband's experiments, since he has many techniques and not enough chakra to go around.

The dark aura, by the way, comes from using the type of moves she was earlier (such as the black flame). Her Mom knows a number of these type of moves, and uses them often in her work; they are highly destructive and as corosive as acid. There are some seals that keep them from affecting anything; the Empty Room is full of them to keep it from burning down, which is why they do the "cleaning" thing in there. However, prolonged use of this type of move leaves the aura, at the same time it multiplies your chakra intake. Which is to say, you use a small amount of chakra to use the jutsu, and whatever it destroys it turns into chakra, which returns to you, leaving a faint black aura.

Seriously, I am so tempted to write a short fic of when Sakura's family was children, but then I'd have to worry about spoilers. Maybe I'll stuff them into my LJ later.

**And now**, I must quickly point you to my _Profile_. Because, as you see, it is now October...and I want to NaNo, so you won't see me for a while. What with plotting for my story and such, and then writing it...so no updates until January. Or possibly December, if I can wing it. Please keep an eye out on my Profile, because I do updates semi-regularly, and I'll let you know how many chapters of Boys and Girls you can look forward to January. And maybe a few sneak peeks. Sounds fun, right?


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